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Founded in 1995 28 - M ARCH 13 2018
Inside a cholera treatment centre in Somalia (Picture - Amunga Eshuchi-Trocaire-Flickr)
THIS SPACE IS FOR SALE Londoners urged to use NHS 111 service to avoid unnecessary A&E visits
ondoners are being urged to avoid unnecessary trips to Hospital Accident & Emergency (A&E) units by getting help from an enhanced National Health Service (NHS) 111 service, which now offers a wider range of clinical services in the capital than ever before. This includes direct access to advice from GPs, nurses, midwives, pharmacists and specialists in mental health, cancer and child health. It is estimated that 768,404 Londoners go to A&E each year who could have been helped by NHS 111. Dr Patrice Baptiste of the Barking, Havering and Redbridge (BHR) Trust said: “NHS 111 in London can now offer patients an even wider range of medical advice direct from pharmacists, GPs, nurses and mental health specialists who work hand in hand with call handlers. “We want to help people understand how NHS 111 can help them and reduce unnecessary trips to A&E, which will help our hospitals. I know that patients want high quality clinical advice, close to their home from trained professionals and this is what they can get from NHS 111.” . Dr Baptiste shares 5 things worth knowing about NHS 111: * NHS 111 is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It’s recently been enhanced and can now offer clinical advice, assessment and direction to the most appropriate healthcare service. * Depending on the situation, the
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Africa’s all too preventable cholera crisis NIGERIA from £489 XCELLENT WORLDWIDE OFFERS ALSO AVAILABLE
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By Tonderayi Mukeredzi IRIN contributor in Zimbabwe outhern and East African countries are facing a severe cholera outbreak that is exposing the failure in public sanitation and the impact of government neglect. Last year, there were more than 109,442 cholera cases resulting in 1,708 deaths in 12
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countries in the Eastern and Southern Africa Region (ESAR), according to the UN children’s agency, UNICEF. Since the beginning of 2018, there have been more than 2,009 cases and a further 22 deaths in seven countries – Angola, Kenya, Continued on Page 4>
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Health
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Black community urged to participate in Organ Donation consultation he black community is being urged to take part in a groundbreaking consultation, which is proposing fundamental changes to help increase the number of organ donors in United Kingdom, and potentially save the lives of hundreds of black people. The government consultation is due to close on 6 March. So far, nearly 13,000 people have shared their views – but less than one percent of respondents identify as being black, Afro-Caribbean or black British.
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Patients from the black, Asian and minority ethnic communities can wait on average nine months longer for a kidney transplant than a white patient, due to the lack of suitable organs. Whilst organs can be donated regardless of race, organ transplants are more likely to be successful and last longer if they have a closer genetic match. The government launched the major public consultation to gather views on plans to introduce a new opt-out system, where there will be presumed consent for organ
donation – as opposed to the current system where people need to actively opt-in to donate their organs. Health Minister Jackie Doyle-Price said: “The sad reality is that not enough black people are coming forward and registering as donors – in fact, this equates to only 0.9% of people on the organ donor register. “This is a difficult issue to talk about, but it has big implications for the BAME community – not least because the need for a better organ donation system could have the greatest impact on people from black and Afro-Caribbean backgrounds. “Our consultation, which runs until next month, is an historic chance to shape a decision that could save hundreds of lives in the years ahead.” The Government is asking for comments on the defining issues of the new system: * How much say should families have in their deceased relative’s decision to donate their organs?
* What exemptions to ‘opt-out’ are needed, and what safeguards will be necessary? * How might a new system affect certain groups depending on age, disability, race or faith? Currently, 25 percent of black people have told their family they want to be an organ donor compared with almost half of all adults in England. Less than six percent of deceased donors are black. Figures from NHS Blood and Transplant show that in the past year around 1,200 families in the UK decided not to allow organ donation because they were unsure, or did not know whether their relatives would have wanted to donate an organ or not. As a result, every day three patients die needing a new organ. To have a say on the future of organ donation visit engage.dh.gov.uk/organdonation.
Londoners urged to use NHS 111 service to avoid unnecessary A&E visits shares her experience of using NHS 111: “I called NHS 111 when I realised my son had drank washing up liquid. I knew I needed urgent, professional advice but knew it wasn’t life threatening enough to call 999. The call handler asked a series of questions to assess his condition. As a first time mum at that point, their advice really helped to reassure me and settle my nerves. They told me to keep an eye on him and what to do if his condition worsened. I’ve called NHS 111 since then and would definitely call again if I have any urgent medical concerns.” For further information about NHS 111, please visit www.nhs.uk/111
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NHS 111 team can connect you to a nurse, emergency dentist or even a GP, and can arrange face-to-face appointments if they think you need one. * NHS 111 is staffed by fully trained advisors who can assess if you need an ambulance, and if you do, one will be sent immediately. * NHS 111 has a confidential interpreter service available in many languages. * If you need a prescription, the service can organise to have it available for pick up at a convenient local location for you. .London resident, Victoria Omololu
Victoria Omololu
Dr Patrice Baptiste
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Africa’s all too preventable cholera crisis Continued from Page 1<
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Malawi, Mozambique, Somalia, Tanzania, and Zambia. Zambia has been among the hardest hit, with the waterborne disease killing more than 74 people since October last year. Cases have been centred on the capital, Lusaka. To contain the outbreak, the government banned street food vending and public gatherings, which triggered violent protests by traders. The World Health Organization says that while sporadic cases of cholera are regular occurrences in Zambia during the five-month rainy season, 2017 exceeded the average annual caseload. The government and the WHO blame poor waste management and inadequate personal hygiene for the contamination of water and food in the townships, which has driven the epidemic. The government’s response has been to call in the army to help enforce control measures, clean markets, and unblock drains. It also launched an oral vaccine programme with a target of immunising one million people, and the number of cases is now beginning to fall. Failing record Zambia, as a lower middle-income economy, lies in the middle of a range of countries caught in the surge of cases in the region, from struggling Mozambique to relatively prosperous Kenya. “In the last four weeks of 2017 alone, Zambia reported 217 new cases of cholera including 11 deaths, Tanzania 216 new cases including eight deaths, Mozambique 155 new cases, and Kenya 44 new cases,” UNICEF’s regional WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) advisor for Eastern and Southern Africa, Suzanne Coates, told IRIN. But by far the worst-affected countries have been war-debilitated Somalia and South Sudan, with 72 percent and 16 percent respectively of the total cholera caseload. Beyond the ESAR, the Democratic Republic of Congo is experiencing the worst cholera outbreak since 1994, with 55,000 cases and 1,190 deaths reported in 24 out of 26 provinces last year, according to Médecins Sans Frontières. Coates noted that while progress has been made on access to improved WASH services over the years, no country in the region managed to meet the 2015 Millennium Development Goal on water and sanitation – to halve the proportion of the population without access to sustainable water services and basic sanitation. Latest WHO and UNICEF estimates indicate that only 53 percent of ESAR citizens have access to basic water services; 30 percent to basic sanitation; just
20 percent to basic hygiene; and that 21 percent of people still practice open defecation. “So, in the region, we still have more than 148 million people using unimproved drinking water sources, over 108 million still practising open defecation, and over 300 million with no hand washing facility,” said Coates. “Strategies to prevent and respond to cholera outbreaks are known and are effective and have helped [other] countries effectively control cholera outbreaks,” she added.
Spending needed Tackling the risk factors requires a developmental response and long-term investment. “Cholera outbreaks will unfortunately recur as long as these factors are not addressed,” said Coates. Zimbabwe’s cash-strapped government has struggled to make those investments in sewerage infrastructure and water management systems, with cholera outbreaks becoming more frequent since the early 1990s when the economy first stalled. Large outbreaks occurred in 1999 and 2002, with the deadliest between August
2008 and July 2009 – a cumulative total of 98,592 cases and 4,288 deaths. Oxfam Zimbabwe WASH coordinator Abigail Tevera said poor inter-ministerial coordination and a lack of commitment to enforce existing regulations also derails efforts to prevent outbreaks. Four people have so far died from cholera in Zimbabwe, with over 200 cases of typhoid – a similar waterborne disease – confirmed by 16 January. Portia Manangazira, the director of Epidemiology and Disease Control in Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Health and Child Care, acknowledged that the public health and sanitation situation in the country was “appalling”, and the nation could do much better to stop “creating” avoidable health crises. “There have also been no resources to identify high-risk groups and protect them with vaccination, the second layer of population protection when primary prevention has failed,” Manangazira told IRIN. “For this reason, the threat of both cholera and typhoid forever looms.” Credits: http://www.irinnews.org/news/2018/02/01 /africa-s-all-too-preventable-choleracrisis
News Pair who laundered stolen money from US sentenced FEBRUARY 28 - MARCH 13 2018
man and woman found guilty of laundering thousands of pounds from an electronics company in America have been sentenced following a City of London Police investigation. Maxwell George Purrman (52) of Burrard Road, east London, and Omowumi Rukayat Sadu (36), of Amersham Road, south London, were sentenced at Inner London Crown Court for their part in the theft, which took place in 2015. The pair were found guilty of one count each of money laundering following a six-day trial at the same court. The court heard how, in July 2015, a US businessman based in Dallas, Texas, received an expected email from a Swiss company requesting payment of €14,285 for parts that had been ordered. The man obliged but was given new bank details for an account in London, belonging to Maxwell Purrman, a domestic cleaner from Plaistow. When alerted, the City of London Police contacted Purrman’s bank, which confirmed that £9746.20 – at the time of transaction worth €14,285 – was received
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from the Texas-based company. The same day, 4 August 2015, three transactions amounting to £9,470 then left Purrman’s account, including one payment of £7,000 to Ms Omowumi Sadu. An investigation of her bank records also found a series of high-value transactions carried out on the day the money was received. Purrman and Sadu were arrested, separately, in February 2016. House searches uncovered bank statements going back several years for Purrman, and six journals belonging to Sadu which detailed almost daily transactions of conversions between Nigerian naira and British pounds. Upon interview, Purrman denied money laundering and claimed that he received and transferred the money on behalf of a friend from Liberia, who he had recently bumped into on the number 21 bus. The friend told him he was now a businessman based in France, and Purrman found nothing suspicious when he asked to use Purrman’s bank account for business. Sadu, who also denied money laundering, explained to detectives that
she he ran a money transfer business between the UK and Nigeria, whilst at home looking after her four children. She also denied any knowledge of Purrman. Both individuals in this case are believed to have no involvement in the initial fraud beyond having transferred the funds obtained from it. Detective Constable Michael O’Sullivan, from the City of London Police Cyber Crime Unit, said: “Money laundering can be a complex matter, but these criminals greatly underestimated our ability to investigate these offences, using our expertise. “At court, the jury found Purrman’s account was entirely implausible and the jury were able to see through the lies he created to distance himself from the fraudsters. Sadu claimed to have no knowledge that the funds going through her account were stolen but the jury agreed with the prosecution that she had knowingly turned a blind eye and allowed her account to be used for fraud. “Within a day, the money had left UK jurisdiction and was not recovered, leaving this unsuspecting victim thousands of pounds out of pocket.
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“This should act as a warning to any other people who are thinking of allowing their account to be used for criminal activity in order to make some extra money – money laundering is a serious offence with very real consequences. Before offering to do this for someone, you should have your suspicions.” Prior to trial, Sadu also pleaded guilty to one count of carrying out a regulated activity without authority, in relation to running an illegal money service bureau. Purrmann received a community order with an unpaid work requirement of 200 hours, ordered to pay £300 costs and a £85 surcharge. Sadu was handed a six-month sentence, suspended for 12 months. She was also ordered to undertake 200 hours unpaid work, pay £300 costs, a £80 surcharge, and the judge ordered forfeiture of her phone and business ledgers.
19-year-old convicted of murder A
man has been found guilty at the Old Bailey of fatally stabbing a teenager in south London in 2017. Paul Akinnuoye, 20 (19.01.98) of Cobbetts Ride, Tunbridge Wells, was convicted of murder following the killing of 19-year-old Jordan Wright on 19 April 2017 on Hervey Road in Blackheath. The college graduate, who was due to start an apprenticeship in the construction industry when he was attacked, died after being stabbed in the chest. Sentencing will take place at a date yet to be fixed within the next month. Police were originally called at approximately 20:10hrs on 19 April 2017 to reports of a stabbing on Hervey Road, at the junction of Begbie Road, SE3. Officers and the London Ambulance Service attended and found Jordan badly wounded. He later died in hospital. In the hours leading up to the assault, Jordan and Akinnuoye had both been part of a group chat on ‘WhatsApp’ which developed into an argument between the two about their sexualities, escalating to the point that they made arrangements to meet for a pre-arranged fight to settle their differences. The arguments centred on who was ‘straighter’ of the two. CCTV footage prior to the incident captured the two meeting up and showed Akinnuoye being physically held back from Jordan following an exchange of words. The group entered the park where a fight ensued, during which Jordan was fatally stabbed in the chest. Helped out of the park, the teenager collapsed at its entrance after saying, “I feel unwell.” Local residents came to his assistance, administering first aid until the arrival of
Jordan Wright killed
the London Ambulance Service (LAS) who took him to Queen Elizabeth Hospital where he died at 21:24hrs. A special post-mortem held at Greenwich Mortuary the following day gave cause of death as an incised wound to the chest. Other stabbing injuries were also found on his body. Inquiries established that it was Akinnuoye who had been involved in the disagreement with Jordan; and he was arrested on 26 April 2017. Offering a “no comment” interview, he was released under police investigation. The murder weapon was recovered
from shrubbery within the park. Inquiries identified that the same knife had gone missing from the home address of Akinnuoye; and on 1 September 2017 he was re-arrested and charged with Jordan’s murder. Detective Inspector Jo Sideaway, of the Homicide and Major Crime Command, said: “This murder left Jordan’s family devastated and was a big shock to the local community; seemingly over a minor dispute between two young men. While nothing will ever make up for this needless loss of life, I hope that today’s guilty verdict will bring some closure for his loved ones.” In a victim impact statement submitted to the court, Jordan’s mother, Katharine Alade, revealed that the trauma caused by her son’s death had left her feeling so distressed that she had contemplated suicide. She said: “You don’t realise until it happens to you how far reaching one moment of madness can be and what an impact it can make on your life forever. There is not one day when I don’t shed tears. I didn’t think it was possible to feel such physical, psychological or mental pain until that fateful day last April. I know I will never be the same. It is now nearly a year later and I still feel as depressed as I did the day I went to Queen Elizabeth’s Hospital in Woolwich to be told that my son did not make it.” She said that it was only when it came to his funeral how much Jordan had been loved - there were over 600 mourners and prior to that they had had 300 people at his memorial nine days after his untimely death. “I could have dealt with him dying at such a young age through illness, but not
Paul Akinnuoye convicted
by the hands of a boy the same age as him and over what?” she asked. Ms Alade also recalled how Jordan had been a ‘gift’ born to her relatively late in life when she had not planned more children and despite enduring challenges from having autism, he had wanted for nothing and was happy and loving. The condition did contribute however, she believed, towards his “innocent” outlook to life, meaning that he did not fully take on board the dangers on the streets such as knife crime, gangs and violence. Jordan’s father, Neville Wright, also talked of how the son’s unfulfilled potential haunted him on a daily basis. “Jordan was my son, his death has changed my life forever. He was very loving, funny and a very caring person, as well as a very popular person. I think of him every day... of what he would have achieved in life - he is gone, but not forgotten.” Three other men who were arrested on suspicion of murder on 4 May 2017 and released under investigation, were all subsequently released with no further action.
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News
Trio caught with firearm jailed
Martin Eze Georgie Roy Sennis Ashman
Akin Akinkunle
Sawn-off shotgun
hree young men have been jailed at Isleworth Crown Court for firearms offences after they were stopped in a vehicle with a shotgun. Georgie Roy Sennis Ashman, 19 (22.08.98) of Tarling Road, E16 was sentenced to nine years imprisonment for conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to
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Balaclava found in car
endanger life. Akin Akinkunle, 19 (20.01.99) of Turpin Avenue, RM5 was sentenced to eight years for conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to endanger life. Martin Eze, 18 (24.01.00) of Green Lane, RM8 was sentenced to four years and four months for possession of a firearm.
Gloves found in car
The men had been previously found guilty at Snaresbrook Crown Court last December. On Monday, 3 April 2017, officers from Operation Trident supported by armed response officers stopped a grey Volkswagen Sharan car, in Whalebone Lane North near to the junction with the A12. Ashman, Akinkunle and Eze were in the vehicle and arrested after officers found a sawn-off shotgun, balaclava and gloves inside the car. During the two-month trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court the jury heard evidence that Ashman was involved in gang activity. The shotgun had been collected from the Collier Row area in order to carry out a possible revenge attack. Detective Inspector Steve Meechan of the Trident and Area
Crime Command said: “This was an intelligence led investigation conducted by Trident officers, targeting criminal gangs actively involved in firearm enabled criminality and acts of violence. “These defendants posed a significant threat to the public, arming themselves to actively seek out and take revenge upon rival gang members. I have no doubt that arresting and bringing them to justice has prevented deaths or serious injury. “The substantial custodial sentences handed down to them today, should act as a significant deterrent to those involved in all aspects of gang related crime. “Trident officers will continue to work tirelessly with our partners to disrupt and detect such criminality, helping prevent significant harm to the communities of London.”
Media
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BBC launches Igbo and Yoruba services T
he world’s oldest national broadcasting organisation - the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has launched BBC Igbo and Yoruba services, two of the 3 new languages launched by the BBC for Nigeria and the West and Central Africa region. These services are part of the largest investment in the BBC World Service since the 1940s and are funded by the UK government. BBC World Service received further funding of £291m until 2019/20 from the UK Government to launch twelve new language services: Afaan Oromo, Amharic, Gujarati, Igbo, Korean, Marathi, Pidgin, Punjabi, Serbian, Telugu, Tigrinya, and Yoruba. This additional funding is not part of the licence fee. The Igbo service is mainly for audiences in eastern and south eastern Nigeria as well as the large Igbo speaking Diaspora. The Yoruba service targets south west Nigeria, Benin and Togo as well as other parts of the Diaspora. The Pidgin service kicked off last August. These fully digital services will include exciting short format audio, video, graphics and illustrations. Twice daily, the teams will produce an
episode of BBC Minute – keeping people in touch with the world in 60 seconds. The editorial agenda will reflect not only balanced impartial news, but also a rich mix of trending topics, sports, entertainment, business, health, education and women. There will be original content through our network of reporters on variety of stories and issues that matter to local people and resonate across the region. Digital content created daily for the website and social media platforms, will cover a broad agenda with a strong focus on audience interactivity. This is in keeping with the BBC News editorial strategy of not only being news providers but also providing enriching analysis, explainers and features. As Editorial Lead on the project, Peter Okwoche says “Both services will concentrate on original journalism from their target regions but will also feature stories from Africa and the main global stories. BBC Igbo & Yoruba will provide a platform for debate on the main issues of interest to audiences and give voices to a wide spectrum of people. There will also be a strong focus on women.” Speaking exclusively to Trumpet, Okwoche said the services have been launched to “give authenticity” to news received by the targeted audience, bring
the BBC World Service “closer to people, and tell the story of people in their own language.” He noted that considering that the BBC World Service has had the BBC Hausa Service for over 60 years, the new services have been a long time in coming. He stated that the BBC has just trained 50 - 60 young journalists - giving them the opportunity to tell Africa’s story and narrative. Head of West Africa, Oluwatoyosi Ogunseye says, “Delivering content and engaging with the Igbo and Yoruba audiences in their mother tongues is authentic, exciting and refreshing. The BBC is passionate about original journalism that adds value and this is what we want to achieve with these services. These platforms will deliver
independent, objective and original news to meet the needs of our audiences in Nigeria and West Africa.” Further information is available at: Website http://www.bbc.com/yoruba http://www.bbc.com/Igbo Facebook https://www.facebook.com/bbcnewsyoru ba https://www.facebook.com/bbcnewsigbo Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bbcnewsyor uba https://www.instagram.com/bbcnewsigbo
YANGA! Bringing Africa into your living room Dynamic Diaspora-focused television channel YANGA! will go live in March with bold and beautiful programming tailor-made for Africans abroad. o-holds-barred current affairs discussions, fashion advice, the latest music and cutting-edge comedians – the new YANGA! television channel aimed at Britain’s African diaspora has a schedule that is nothing if not diverse. The network goes live on March 5, broadcasting a unique mix of British and West African culture through lively programmes featuring up-and-coming talent who reflect the diaspora in all its energetic variety. It is the brainchild of Lindsey Oliver, who heads up the channel’s parent company, Africa MediaWorks, based in London’s Chiswick Park Studios. “I was asked who I would want to be watching the channel in five years’ time. I said, ‘Everyone!’ We’re hoping it will be of interest to everybody interested in Africa,” she said. “Our core target is the West African diaspora – first, second and third generation – but we’re hoping we’ll also attract the whole of the African diaspora.” There will be a wealth of original commissions, including Number 6, a
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comedy show, the late night Turn Up, which melds West African and UK music and culture, and Noni, a magazine chat show aimed at women. Noni is presented by Juliana Olayinka, an experienced journalist of Nigerian heritage. “I identify as an African woman even though I was born and raised in Britain. I like Loose Women and Lorraine, but sometimes there’s something missing,” said Juliana, explaining that black women were often the “last thought of” group to be featured in mainstream British shows. Juliana will also appear on the channel’s current affairs discussion programme, JHUK (Journalists’ Hangout UK). Opinions on African issues are likely to be aired more frankly than they are on established British debate shows. “It’s a really, really interesting show,” said Juliana. “We look at the biggest topics that come from the continent and our perspective is not necessarily the UK perspective. “For example, with the Oxfam scandal, we talk about it in a way that Continued on Page 10 >
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Media
YANGA! Bringing Africa into your living room Continued from Page 9<
probably wouldn’t be broadcast if you were speaking about it on Sky or the BBC. It’s a little bit raw. It’s brutally honest.” Children are not forgotten on YANGA!, with the original programme Fizzi aimed at them and their parents. The show will keep the youngsters in touch with their cultural heritage through the likes of nursery rhymes in African languages. As well as its own commissions, YANGA! will broadcast some of the best African-made programmes, among them Direct Flight, a drama centred on four flight attendants jetting between Africa and Europe. Among much else, Crazy, Lovely, Cool, a coming-of-age drama about a group of charismatic students; Before 30, following four young women in Lagos and their quest to get married before turning 30 and new Nollywood movies. Juliana said that YANGA! will
provide a mix that cannot be found in other channels. While African channels are broadcast in the UK, these are “made in Africa for Africans” and can be “far removed from my everyday life”. On the other hand, Juliana described some of the current Africa-focused UK-made channels as aimed at older generations. YANGA! should have a distinct niche. “YANGA! is made by people like me – born in Britain and raised here and who travel back to the continent. I don’t think there’s anything like it [on other channels] … It’s kind of demystifying the diaspora and it’s a destination channel for people like myself,” she said. As well as targeting viewers of traditional television, YANGA! – meaning ‘self-pride‘ and ‘showing off‘ in West African pidgin – is looking to appeal to those used to watching programmes online, and many of its presenters first made their name through internet portals. Lindsey came up with the idea for the channel after returning to London after a stint as Commercial Director for Continental Broadcasting Services in Lagos, Nigeria. “I got an opportunity to take over a studio in West London. The idea grew from there – building a centre of excellence for African and particularly West African programming and media” said Lindsey, whose television credits also include working as a Commercial Director for the Qatar-based Al Jazeera
Juliana Olayinka
English network. YANGA! is launching amid significant growth in the UK’s African diaspora. In the 2001 census, fewer than half a million people in Britain identified as black African. A decade on, the census found that number had swelled to almost a million, while 2021’s survey is expected to highlight further growth. YANGA! will broadcast from 9am to
midnight and on Sky Channel 293 and online at YANGATV.com. It will also be available on YouTube at YANGA UK and its social media presence under @yanga_uk covers Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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Business
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13% of New Enterprise Allowance beneficiaries were BME atest figures from United Kingdom’s Department for Works and Pensions (DWP) show that over 111,000 businesses have been launched with New Enterprise Allowance (NEA) support since 2011, and that 13% of the entrepreneurs were from a black and minority ethnic background.
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up to 12 months, from drafting their business plan to starting to trade. People can also access a start-up loan, worth up to £25,000. The full programme of support is available to people who are out of work, but some people who already own their own business can also access the mentoring
Tasty from Monica’s Caribbean Kitchen
Support from the NEA means budding entrepreneurs receive a weekly allowance for 6 months to help them set up their business. They also benefit from the advice of a business expert who will mentor them for
support. One of the entrepreneurs who has benefitted from NEA support is Monica Whyte who set up a food stall in Nottingham Market. Monica, 51, has always loved cooking
traditional, flavoursome Caribbean food. As a child she would spend her Saturday afternoons making salt fish fritters with her mum. She dreamed of one day turning her love of family cooking into a business. In June 2016, Monica was out of work and began claiming Universal Credit. But with the support of her work coach, Beverley, the time had come for her to follow her dream. It was a training class about setting up a market stall which kick-started her journey to self-employment. And with the support from New Enterprise Allowance programme Monica also received business mentoring and coaching to help nurture her business mind. Monica said: “My mentor has given me confidence, while guiding me through the journey of developing a business.” Today, Monica’s Caribbean Kitchen is a popular and growing market stall in Nottingham. Her delicious fried fish, mutton curry, jerk chicken and Saturday Soup special ‘chicken and pumpkin’, have kept customers coming back. And, through Universal Credit, Monica has had the flexibility to start working more hours, grow her business steadily and build her clientele while still getting financial support when she needed it. Monica added: “This has been a journey for me where I have become more confident about getting my businesses up and running. The future looks bright - I’m
Monica Whyte
looking into getting more equipment and working on outside catering, summer fetes and other events.” Minister for Employment Alok Sharma said: “Successful small businesses are the engine of our economy and the New Enterprise Allowance has made a real positive difference in supporting people like Monica to start their own business, with a business mentor proving invaluable. And with the roll-out of Universal Credit, self-employed people are supported for up to a year while they establish their business.”
Opinion
Judges, the law and our democracy o expand the democratic space in Nigeria and to ensure the legitimacy and stability of our democratic process, the rule of law, perhaps the supremacy of the law, anchored on constitutionalism and a progressive, liberal and developmental construction of the law, may be our best bargain, the latter in particular in the face of a seeming conversion of the democratic dispensation to a military regime. The judiciary, I mean the judex, is at the centre of this proposition. In more direct language, what I am trying to draw attention to is how in recent times, despite the fact that we are under a democratic dispensation, there has been a seeming militarization of the political space, by the incumbent political administration at the centre. The scope for human freedom has been reduced, the government of the day complains about hate speech but it is, ironically, the main author of hate language against the same people whose welfare and security it is supposed to
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safeguard. It is a government that is intolerant of the opposition and which has shown an inordinate capacity for malice, hypocrisy, and intimidation. This more or less sets the tone for everything else. This is the reason it has lost so much goodwill and why many of its committed supporters who dreamt of its potential messianism are regretting their own initial optimism. The last time Nigerians found themselves under this kind of siege was under military rule, and particularly under the rule of the same man who is now Nigeria’s incumbent President, a soldier turned civilian President. The militarization of the State in whatever form, compromises democratic ethos. We are in a democracy but the relevant institutions seem to be in disarray. The executive is at loggerheads with the legislature in Abuja. The judiciary has been harassed so much many of its members have been accused of corruption and thrown into the dock or disgraced out of service.
We are therefore, in a local season of McCarthyism whereby every possible opposition figure is labeled a witch, a thief, and harassed or blackmailed. The only saints in Nigeria at the moment are those who join the ruling party, or who go to great lengths to heap the blame for all problems on the immediate past administration. In this typical season of opportunism and sycophancy, saints may become devils and vice versa, throwing the country into the vortex of a moral turpitude. But I single out the judiciary for qualified praise. The country’s judiciary has not escaped the harassment by an Executive wielding near-monarchical powers, even beyond the letters of the Constitution. Its members have been targeted for intimidation and harassment, and whereas it is true that there are bad eggs in every sector and that there are indeed rogue judges, the pattern of intervention in the judiciary on the grounds of the anti-corruption campaign smacks of a witch-hunt. But
BY REUBEN ABATI whereas legislators are divided, politicians are rushing to the ruling party in search of protection, and the civil society has been weighing its options, and everyone else seems to be seeking protection, the judiciary in spite of its travails remains, in our estimation, the only institution that is still relatively Continued on Page 13<
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Trumpet Manchester
Raising awareness of Hate Crime in Manchester
message I sent to Dr Erinma Bell MBE enquiring about activities happening in Manchester’s African community led to an invitation to attend one of her events. This was an opportunity to see firsthand the work she does and it was highly impressive.
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I met Dr Bell in person at the first Gathering of Africa’s Best (GAB) Awards in Manchester where she won an award for her service to Peace. Her work against gang violence in Manchester is well documented. However, this event was a “Hate Crime Awareness” workshop organised by the Nigerian Women’s Group Manchester where Dr. Bell is the Chair. A well attended event where after introductions, a video clip was shown, highlighting the dangers of ignoring to report Hate Crime, be it racial, gender, disability, religion or sexuality. What was most surprising to me is the catastrophic effect the fear of reporting hate crime has on the victims. Dr Bell wasn’t the only speaker. There was Robin from Wellbeing Awareness for West Africans in the Diaspora (WAWAD) discussing health, wellbeing, diet and the control or management of diabetes within the African community through healthy eating. Another speaker was Abrar from the Monitoring Group based in London. His message stressed the need for all ethnic minorities to work together in one accord for one common goal rather than having different pockets with the same message. As one big voice, it will make more impact. Also at the event were guests from the Asian community inviting the Nigerian Women’s Group to visit
Creating Hate Crime awareness
the Indian Community Centre to witness their activities. As participants we were encouraged not to ignore our suspicions but instead to bear witness to Hate Crime. There are phone numbers to call, however, if you are not confident enough to go to the police anonymously there are Third party reporting centres and Housing Associations you can report suspicions to. The more the reporting of such crimes occur, the more it deters those about to do it and thus saves lives. After all the serious business, was the relaxing activity of painting face masks with oil paint to unleash the inner artists in us followed by refreshments. Attending the workshop clearly
highlights many reasons why Dr Erinma Bell has won multiple awards as a peace activist and I left her company for the second time in a month feeling inspired.
Unleashing the inner artist to fight Hate Crime
Having one big voice will make more impact
From Left - Dr Erinma Bell, Chantelle Fekumor and a guest
Opinion
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Judges, the law and our democracy Continued from Page 11<
standing firm. When a proper stocktaking of this period in Nigerian history is done, it may well be discovered, that the judiciary was foremost in standing firm against intimidation. I once wrote a Man-of-the-Year piece in which the judiciary was specially commended for its efforts in protecting Nigerian democracy and the rule of law. This was during the tumultuous season of the protest against the annulment, by military fiat, of the outcome of the 1993 Presidential election, and the aftermath. Before then, the Nigerian judiciary during the FatayiWilliams-Eso-Irikefe-Oputa-KaribiWhyte era had spoken the truth from the Bench and sought to protect Fundamental Human Rights against assault by the then military establishment. Under the present dispensation, we may well be facing the third critical era of the judiciary in terms of its willingness or otherwise, to resist military-era like intimidation. Our emphasis is on the appellate courts, and the principle: “judicia posteriori sunt in lege fortiori”, that is “the later decisions are the strongest in law.” Whereas the High Courts of Nigeria have acquired a reputation for recklessness, and lack of thoroughness, the appellate courts have most recently served as a good advertisement for the appellate structure of the Nigerian judicial system. For a fact, the most celebrated cases relating to the nationbuilding and democratic system in recent times have been cases dealing with corruption and the travails of politically connected and exposed persons. Many of these cases, perfunctorily treated at the inferior courts level, have been thrown out at the appellate level, and in most instances what is projected is the supremacy of the law, even if the grounds may be technical. A rigorous review of such cases may slip into the error of pedantry and seem unsuitable for journalistic commentary but I find particularly interesting a recent case at the Court of Appeal, Lagos Judicial Division, re: Adaoha UgoNgadi vs Federal Govt of Nigeria, presided over by their Lordships: Mohammed Lawal Garba JCA, Joseph Shagbaor Ikyegh, JCA, and Yargata Byenchit Nimpar, JCA. The appellant had been charged before and tried by the High Court of Lagos State, along with two others on an eight-count charge including conspiracy to obtain by false pretence, obtaining by false pretence, conspiracy to forge documents, forgery, altering a false document, conspiracy to alter a false document and so on. On January 13, 2017, the applicant, who was 2nd defendant, along with the
1st defendant, was convicted of the offences charged while the 3rd defendant was discharged and acquitted. They were sentenced to a total of 69 years imprisonment to run concurrently in respect of each term for the respective offences. They were also required to return to the Federal Government of Nigeria the sum of N754.9 million being an overpayment for oil subsidy,
decision of a High Court, sitting at first instance, as of right by dint of the provisions of Section 241(1) (a) and (b) of the Constitution as altered.” The key issue in this instance about the propriety of proceedings and fair hearing is whether or not a defendant must be present in court throughout the whole of his trial, and whether his or her absence in the event of a joint defendant would
Federal High Court Nigeria
purportedly due to their company, Ontario Oil and Gas Limited. The gravamen of this case is in relation to the right to fair hearing, as guaranteed in Section 36(1) and (4) of the 1999 Constitution. The right to fair hearing is a fundamental right in court proceedings and a major plank of our constitutional order. The apex court had however since ruled that it is nonetheless not a right that can be resorted to in a frivolous manner or as a magic wand. Having taken this into consideration, the Court of Appeal Lagos Division, in determining the merit of other issues in the case, upheld the rulings of the lower court on Counts 2-4, and duly found the applicant guilty, but the court raised a major constitutional issue when it turned the eyes of the law on the propriety of proceedings, and whether or not this constituted a breach of the Appellant’s right to fair hearing. Delivering the lead judgment, concurred to by his brother Justices, Mohammed Lawal Garba, JCA, observed: “The issue of the right of a party to fair hearing in a case is so fundamental and crucial in the conduct of all judicial proceedings of a court of law and the administration of justice generally because of its constitutional guarantee and so a substantive issue of law that can be raised in an appeal against the final and interlocutory
amount to a breach of the principle or right of fair hearing. The applicant argued that the absence of her codefendant at the lower court throughout the whole trial amounted to a denial of her right to fair hearing. The Court then held, relying on the decided cases of Adeoye vs State; State vs Lawal, Asakipiti v. State and Ogujubu v. State as well as Section 208 of the ACJL, 2011 to the effect that it is mandatory that a Defendant shall be present in court throughout the whole of his trial including the delivery of judgement and sentence by a trial court. Our take is that their Lordships in this case have taken a courageous stand in defence of the purity of the law, and in upholding the spirit of the law, and the constitution as the controlling force of State actions. Emotional and moralistic responses are beyond the purview of the law. When the judex insist on legal purity, especially under the prevailing circumstances in Nigeria, the standard response is for them to be exposed to blackmail and name-calling. But the judex would fail in their duty, in the face of routine assault on fundamental rights, if they submit to the logic of the herd. Where fundamental rights are involved, it is better and more useful for the purpose of expanding the democratic space to intervene on a positive note. The case cited is not the
only one of its type under the present dispensation; consider for example, the Orubebe case, the El Zakzaky case and the Dasuki case. Here as in other cases, we see the judiciary, as the Third Estate of The Realm, resisting the attempt to cage and intimidate it by a partisan Federal Establishment. The grant of bail in the last two cases for example have been recklessly ignored nonetheless, and this is one other reason I speak of qualified praise. It is the duty of judges to always stand up against the pretensions of the King, particularly as the prosecutorial agencies appear to be busy dancing to the body language of the King. While the judiciary may be making some effort, more at the appellate level, in reaffirming its independence, even if through the protection of the purity of the law, the same cannot be said of the lawyers in the court of law. Every lawyer is expected and enjoined to be an officer in the temple of justice. But sadly, Nigerian lawyers either due to lack of diligence or slavishness to other interests beyond equity and justice, compromise the propriety of proceedings. It is the reason judges must remain vigilant, to avoid interpreting the law after the fashion of the moment and to state the general principles of the law in accordance with the facts of every case and to refuse to be intimidated. They must be mindful all the same of the boundaries between equity and the threshold of substantial justice. The case under review sheds more light on the existing jurisprudence on the constitutional right to fair hearing. It remains to be seen whether or not the Federal Government will further challenge it at the apex court. Whatever happens, our qualified praise need not be limited to the Appellate Courts, it is the entire judiciary despite the limitations of the moment, that must rise above the routine handling of cases, narrow-mindedness and other constraints to fully demonstrate its independence, on the Bench and away from it. Elections are around the corner; certainly there will be Constitutional issues ahead that will seriously test the integrity of our courts. The ordinary man will expect that our judges will deliver justice without being intimidated by anyone’s body language.
CHANGE OF NAME I formerly known and addressed as Oluwadamilola Abosede Arike Olatunde now wish to be known and addressed as Gloria Oluwadamilola Folorunsho. Nigeria High Commission and General Public, please note.
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GAB Awards
FEBRUARY 28 - MARCH 13 2018
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Faces at GAB Awards Manchester
Bantuway Foods CEO - Patrick Ideh receives GAB Award
Club 87 members were in attendance to support recipient - Gabriel Ozique
Dr Richard Obahor (left) responds after his Investiture as GAB Awards Patron while Club 87 President
Compere Kemi Obisesan Olude engages guests
Mr & Mrs Mike Abiola presents GAB Award to Pastor Yomi Obadimeji
Mr Wale Fayemi and his cousin present award to Khadija Sanusi represented by Mayowa Akindele
Otunba & Princess Femi Adenuga being invested as GAB Awards Patrons Mrs Lola Okutubo presents award to Mr Gabriel Ozique
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GAB Awards
Faces at GAB Awards Manchester
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Otunba Adeeko, Bunmi West pose with GAB recipient Mrs Lola Busari (represented by her Mum - Mrs Yemisi Akindele)
Otunba Adeeko, Bunmi West pose with GAB recipients Akwa Cross Manchester UK
Otunba Adeeko, Bunmi West pose with GAB recipients Mr & Mrs Oluwadare of Roots Restaurant
Recipient Dr Erinma Bell flanked by Mrs Buky Akinpelu and Ms Jumoke Falokun
Recipient Hon. Dayo Alebiosu responds after receiving award from Mrs Yemisi Jenkins-Lewis
Recipient Mrs Tayo Arikawe and her husband pose after award
Some of the Recipients
Some of the VIP guests
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