Lagos Court Bars Security Operatives From Arresting Sanusi By RAHEEM IBRAHIM LAGOS - A Federal High Court in Lagos has barred the Nigerian police and State Security Services (SSS) personnel from arresting, harassing and detaining the suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Malam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. The motion exparte was granted by Justice Ibrahim Buba after Sanusi’s lawyers filed an affidavit of urgency, deposed to by Malam Sanusi Lamido, in which he expressed grave fears about his freedom and personal liberty.
Sanusi himself arrived at the Federal court to swear to the affidavit at about 3.34 pm. He left instantly afterwards. Lawyers from the chambers of former Lagos state attorney-general, Professor Yemi Osibajo were seen in Justice Ibrahim Buba’s court, where they held a closed session with the judge to argue their case, that Sanusi deserved the shield of the court from feared violations by agents of the state against his personal liberty. The lawyers were: Mrs. V.O.M. Longe, Ikem Isiekwena, Bashiru Ramini, Benjamin Omoruyi and Loretta Ossai. Justice Buba in his ruling
urged the defendants, who include the Inspector General of Police, the DG of the SSS and the attorney-general of the Federation, to maintain the status quo until “hearing and determination of the motion on notice”. The matter was adjourned for further hearing 28 February. Sanusi has dismissed the allegations of misconduct against him and said he believed he was removed because of his attacks on the powerful state Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). On arrival from Niamey, Niger Republic on Thursday, Sanusi was delayed at the
Lagos airport and his Nigerian travelling passport seized by the SSS. “His passport is still with them,” said Malam Nasir ElRufai, a former minister and Sanusi’s friend. Sanusi was suspended by President Goodluck Jonathan,
few months to the end of his five-year tenure, amidst the allegations made by Sanusi that the state-owned oil corporation, the NNPC was owing the national treasury $20billion, being unremitted proceeds from oil sales from January 2012 to June 2013.
Federal Government responded by excavating an older issue of financial allegations against Sanusi as governor of the bank and shoves him out of office. Sanusi in several interviews has promised to challenge the suspension in court of law.
Embrace Peace, Shun Ethnicity, Cleric Urges Nigerians “Then come together as a LAGOS - Bishop Joseph Dike, Director of Information, Brotherhood of the Cross and Star College of Bishops, has urged Nigerians to co-exist in peace and harmony to ensure the country’s development. Dike said this while delivering a lecture at the three-day national conference of the church entitled “Unified Universal Theocracy on Earth’’ in Lagos. “The expectation goes beyond the church, I rather say to the entire Nigerians in the human family. “The manifestation of this kingdom is to break the boundary of churches and religion, to break the barrier of our language and ethnicity
and all the areas that have been posing conflicts to us. “We must come together as one, even at this particular point of Nigeria’s transition, so much violence, so much bloodshed, so much acrimony, so much hatred and so on and so forth. “The Quran teaches love, the bible teaches love as well as other religions, we expect that if we are really the children of God to come together in oneness. “Eschew our difference, forget all our biases, forget our hatred, and forget all those things that militate against our corporate and individual wellbeing.
family of God under one umbrella in love and peace. Dike said peace was fundamental to the development and sustainability of the country as one indivisible entity.
Chairman, Etsako East Local Government Council, Hon. Abdulmalik Suleiman (3rd left) drinking water from the industrial water borehole in Imiagtese, Okpella during an inspection visit.
Secure Borders To Prevent Smuggling, Union Tasks FG LAGOS - The National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGWN) has appealed to the Federal Government to secure the nation’s borders to prevent smuggling of banned products.
The President of NUTGWN, Mr Oladele Hunsu, told newsmen in Lagos that the industry’s major threat was unabated smuggling of textiles into the country. “In spite of the ban on textile import introduced by the Federal Government in 2004, Nigeria still remains a dumping ground for all sorts of textile,” Hunsu said. He said the government must ensure that its borders were not porous, adding that “porous borders amount to unfair trade practice. “How can you open your
borders or your sea ports and make your country a dumping ground?” he asked. Hunsu urged the government to come up with a stringent policy to ensure that dumping of goods was prohibited. “It will help to protect the local industries. So, we want the government to intensify efforts to ensure it put stringent measures in place to discourage dumping,” he said. The union leader lamented that the Chinese were the worst culprits in faking and dumping substandard textile materials in Nigeria. “The Chinese have started
faking Nigerian products by taking designs from Nigeria to China to produce inferior ones with Nigeria labels and bring back the inferior products. “Most Nigerian consumers cannot differentiate between the locally made fabric and imported Chinese ones and that tends to rubbish us as a nation. “If they (Chinese) are sincere in growing our economy, they should come and set up industries, rather than turning Nigeria into dumping ground for substandard textile materials,” Hunsu said.
infrastructure and equipment to develop the grassroots, but on our own part, we are trying to make do with what we have in terms of sports facilities in all the zones. “Schools are naturally the place to discover these talents, so our zonal coaches have been given the directive to scout for such individuals. “This year, our main objective is to discover more budding talents into future
effort would help boost sporting activities in the state and prepare athletes for the forthcoming National Sport Festival (NSF) scheduled for November 23 to December 3 in Calabar, Cross River. Reports State that Team Plateau finished 14th on the medal table with six gold, nine silver and 18 bronze at the last the sports fiesta tagged “Eko 2012” in Lagos
Plateau Promises To Develop he said. Grassroots Sports stars,’’ Izang disclosed that the
Hon. Omorede Osifo (left) in a handshake with APC National Women Leader, Barrister Sharon Ikeazor after receiving the Royal beads from the Benin Monarch recently.
LAGOS - The Plateau Sports Council (PSSC) has said that it would encourage the development of sports at the grassroots this year. The PSSC Director of Sports, Bulus Izang, made the assertion in an interview with newsmen in Lagos. Izang said the state would build modern sporting facilities in major towns to aid the development of sports. “We need more