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UK Home Office launches anti-FGM campaign
Latty, 14, was inspired by her mother to call for the elimination of FGM. (Pic - Luca Zordan for UNFPA)
nited Kingdom’s Home Office has launched an awareness campaign designed to help eradicate the horrific crime of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). The campaign sends a powerful message that communities should protect children from people who carry out this horrific practice, as it is child abuse and this will not be tolerated in the UK. Through the tagline ‘Let’s Protect our Girls’, the Government want to ensure young girls and families know about the life altering health consequences of FGM. These can include: Childbirth complications, Period problems, Scarring, Mental health issues and Urinary infections. Home Secretary Sajid Javid said: “Female Genital Mutilation has no place in modern society. It is repulsive, unethical and leaves victims with emotional and physical scars that last a lifetime. “We have launched this important campaign to make it clear to everyone that the practice is illegal and has serious health consequences. I urge everyone to help protect girls at risk by spreading the messages.” The design and messaging of the campaign was created in consultation with FGM victims and activists including the NSPCC, Forward UK, Midaye Somali Women’s Network, The Girl Generation and IKWRO. The messages will be amplified using targeted print and radio adverts and materials will be distributed directly into communities where FGM is more prevalent. The campaign will also include recruiting FGM ambassadors and engaging with organisations on the ground to support its messaging.
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ourteen-year-old Latifatou Compaoré learned the spirit of resistance from her mother. Her mother was subjected to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) as a child in Burkina Faso. “She told me that one of the girls who had been cut the same day as her had experienced serious problems and died following a haemorrhage that no one had taken care of,” Latty explained. FGM can cause a raft of serious health
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News “I refused FGM” UK Home Office launches anti-FGM campaign OCTOBER 10 - 23 2018
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consequences, including not only haemorrhage but also shock, infection and complications in childbirth. Yet the practice is widespread around
Anissa, 15, is a Syrian refugee in Egypt. FGM is not traditionally practiced in Syria, but some refugees have adopted the practice. Anissa works with the youth group Y-Peer to help end FGM. (Pic - Luca Zordan for UNFPA)
the world. An estimated 200 million women and girls alive today have been subjected to the practice. Some 3.9
million girls were subjected to FGM in 2015 alone. And if FGM continues at current levels, 68 million girls will be cut between 2015 and 2030. But brave women and girls are taking a stand against FGM, sometimes risking stigma and rejection by their families and communities. Latty’s mother was one of these courageous women. “When she became a mom, she made the commitment that if she had girls, she would never cut them,” Latty said. “And she kept her word.” Latty was 10 years old when she heard her mother’s account. “This story really shocked me,” she said. “I cannot understand that children can be made to suffer in such a way, that they can be mutilated under conditions with poor or no hygiene.” She decided to become an advocate for ending the practice. A talented singer, Latty recorded a song about it, called “Excision,” which garnered attention throughout the country, even getting air time on national television and radio stations. Latty has since recorded two more Continued on Page 4<
Continued from Page 1< The campaign will signpost people who want more information to the NSPCC’s helpline and website where they can find further help. This can be found at http://nspcc.org.uk/fgm or by contacting the free, anonymous helpline on 0800 028 3550. John Cameron, NSPCC Head of Helplines, said: “We know from calls to our dedicated helpline that Female Genital Mutilation is still affecting hundreds of girls in the UK. Sadly, the true picture of how many are affected is unknown because for far too long, FGM has been cloaked in secrecy. “We hope this campaign will help to end the silence that surrounds FGM by encouraging young people and any adults worried about them to speak out and get help. By joining forces across communities, we can bring an end to this dangerous and illegal practice.” The campaign comes after NHS England statistics released in July show that between April 2017 and March this year, 6,195 individual women and girls had FGM identified or treatment related to it. However, FGM is still a hidden crime. A 2015 prevalence study by City University and Equality Now, which was part-funded by the Home Office, estimated
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that 137,000 women and girls who have migrated to England and Wales are living with the consequences of FGM. The campaign will be placed into communities where, according to these statistics, FGM may be most prevalent. These include Sudanese, Somalian, Ethiopian, Eritrean, Egyptian, Iraqi, Gambian and Nigerian communities. The husband and two children of Sarian Karim Kamara feature in the campaign. The mother-of-five was just 11-years-old when she became an FGM victim, which later meant she suffered complications during childbirth. Sarian said: “Efforts to end FGM is something every man and woman in society should be engaged in. FGM is, quite simply, child abuse.” The campaign is the latest action the Government is taking to tackle so-called ‘Honour-Based Violence.’ This includes: introducing a new offence of failing to protect a girl from FGM; extending the reach of extra territorial offences; introducing lifelong anonymity for victims of FGM; introducing civil FGM Protection Orders; andintroducing a mandatory reporting duty for known cases of FGM in under 18s.
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TheTrumpetTeam In Egypt, 14-year-old Haneen is an advocate for ending FGM. (Pic - Luca Zordan for UNFPA)
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Fatmah, in Egypt, learned about the consequences of FGM from her mother. At 13, Fatmah encourages people to reject the practice. _I convinced my sister not to cut her kids._ (Pic - Luca Zordan for UNFPA)
songs about ending the practice. On a Facebook page she created about eliminating FGM, her videos have been viewed hundreds of thousands of times. But she has also faced backlash. “There are some who congratulate me and encourage me to go forward, but there are others who bother me a lot,” she said. “I also receive messages that ask me to stop, to mind my own business.” The opposition does not discourage her, though. “It is a cause that I will defend
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In Burkina Faso, Latifatou Compaoré, 14, was inspired by her mother to call for the elimination of FGM. She recorded a song about the subject, which has been played on national television and radio. (Pic - Luca Zordan for UNFPA)
throughout my life,” Latty said. Around the world, thousands of courageous girls like Latty are calling for the elimination of FGM in their families and communities. In Kenya, 17-year-old Sharleen Cherop also said no to FGM. She managed to escape both FGM and child marriage – which are linked in some places, with one practice considered a precursor to the other. “My family wanted me to be cut and get married, but I refused,” Sharleen said. She ran away from home and found support and safety at a nearby school. She is now an advocate for children’s rights. In Egypt, FGM is widespread. More than 90 per cent of women have Continued on Page6<
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News
Five drug dealers jailed ive men from Hackney in East London, who sold drugs in Cambridgeshire via two ‘county lines’ have been sentenced to over 36 years’ imprisonment, at Wood Green Crown Court. Rashayne Hunter, 20 (22.07.98) of Evelyn Court, Amhurst Road in Hackney was previously found guilty of two counts of conspiring to supply a class A drug (heroin and crack cocaine). He was sentenced to ten years and six months’ imprisonment. Samuel Awoyera, 20 (28.08.98) of Evelyn Court, Amhurst Road in Hackney was previously found guilty of two counts of conspiring to supply a class A drug (heroin and crack cocaine). He was sentenced to seven years and six months’ imprisonment. Sherif Isiaka, 19 (06.06.99) of Eastdown House, Amhurst Road in Hackney pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply class A (heroin and crack cocaine). He was sentenced to seven years and five months’ imprisonment. Jodeci Ofulue, 24 (17.01.94) of Parkside Estate, Rutland Road in Hackney previously pleaded guilty of two counts of conspiring to supply a class A drug (heroin and crack cocaine). He was sentenced to six years and nine months’ imprisonment. A 17-year-old youth was previously found guilty of two counts of conspiring to supply a class A drug (heroin and crack
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Rashayne Hunter
Jodeci Ofulue Samuel Awoyera
cocaine) and one count of possession of criminal property. He was sentenced to four years and four months’ imprisonment. The men, who all have links to a street gang in Hackney, sold the drugs in Peterborough and Huntingdon via dedicated phone lines nicknamed ‘Ricki’ and ‘TJ’. They were arrested following a ninemonth long investigation by the Central Gangs Unit, part of the Met’s Trident and Area Crime Command. Jodeci Ofulue was arrested on 2 November 2017 as he approached an abandoned vehicle in Hawksbill Way in Peterborough. When police attempted to stop him he ran away, dropping his keys and the mobile phone controlling the ‘Ricki’ line. Police found nearly £14,000 worth of heroin and crack cocaine, scales
and used latex gloves in the car. The other men were arrested at their home addresses on 1 March this year. Detectives used phone analysis and police surveillance to link each man to the drug dealing network, demonstrating contact between the defendants’ phones, the two ‘deal lines’ and local drug users in Cambridgeshire, as well as the locations of the deal lines and the defendants’ personal phones. During the course of the investigation, drugs with a street value in excess of £17,000 were seized, along with designer clothing, jewellery, cash in excess of £25,000 and a watch valued at over £20,000, which had previously been reported as stolen. DS Gary Clarke of Trident’s Central Gangs Unit, said: “This was a complex investigation into a lucrative ‘county line’ drugs network, operating between
Sherif Isiaka
Hackney and Cambridgeshire. Drug dealers prey on local users and use violence and intimidation, bringing with them misery and violent crime to local communities. These sentences demonstrate just how seriously the criminal justice system is taking the issue of county lines drugs rings.”
“I refused FGM” Continued from Page 4<
undergone the practice, according to a 2014 survey. The UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme to Eliminate Female Genital Mutilation works with local partners and communities to raise awareness about the harms caused by FGM. Fatmah’s mother heard some of these
In Ethiopia, Fatuma Abdu participates in a UNFPA-supported adolescent girls_ group that discusses the subject. _I teach my family and other community member the cause and effects of FGM._ (Pic - Luca Zordan for UNFPA)
messages from a local NGO and taught them to Fatmah. Today, at 13 years old, Fatmah has rejected FGM and is a passionate advocate for its elimination. “FGM is wrong and it has lots of harms,” she said. “I convinced my sister not to cut her kids.” In Ethiopia, 18-year-old Sofia Hussen experienced both FGM and child marriage. She learned about the harms of both practices from a UNFPA-supported adolescent girls group, and today she uses her own story to call for change. “I am a living example,” she said of her work. Latty, too, has seen real change in her community. “A little while ago, a friend of my mother came into our yard with her 2year-old daughter. She said that family members were insisting on cutting the little one,” Latty recalled. She spoke to the woman at length, explaining the consequences of FGM. “She ended up promising us that she would not cut her,” Latty said. To date, the girl has not been cut, she added. “We have to fight every day to try to educate as many people as possible,”
In Ethiopia, Sofia Hussen experienced both FGM and child marriage. Now 18, she uses her own story to call for change. (Pic - Luca Zordan for UNFPA)
Latty explained. “That’s what I’m trying to do.”
Credits: https://www.unfpa.org/news/irefused-brave-women-and-girls-take-standagainst-fgm
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Opinion
Osun: Election as theatre W
hat is going on in Osun State right now is nothing short of political theatre. It is keeping us all entertained, but it has also turned so many observers into emergency lawyers. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the Osun Gubernatorial election of September 22 inconclusive and has ordered a supplementary election at seven polling centres in four local councils on September 27. Many Nigerians are taking a keen interest in the Osun election. This should not be surprising. Every election season in Nigeria, what the law says or does not say is the concern of all kinds of experts who suddenly discover the country’s Constitution and call it out into action as they deem fit. In the last 48 hours, the Nigerian public space has been suffused with relevant sections of the 1999 Constitution on elections, with the more popular references being Sections 1(2), 69 and 179 (2) of the Constitution and Sections 68 (c), 69 and 153 of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended). Many interested parties have also been dredging up decided cases from the past. It is really entertaining to see both lawyers and non-lawyers alike referring to precedents from previous elections in Kogi, Bauchi, Edo, Katsina States, and court rulings in Osunbor vs. Oshiomhole, Nwobasi vs. Ogbaga and 2 ors., and Faleke vs. INEC. What are the issues? Issue 1: whether INEC has acted rightly within the purview of the law by declaring the Osun Gubernatorial election inconclusive? Issue 2: whether a candidate who won a simple majority and one-quarter of the votes in twothirds of the local councils in the State as required under Section 179(2) of the 1999 Constitution, can be denied a prompt declaration on the grounds that the margin of his victory is lower than the number of cancelled votes? Issue 3: whether the guidelines provided for in the Electoral Act 2010, and the INEC Manual for Election officials, can override the Constitution? Issue 4: whether INEC has the powers to declare an election inconclusive? Issue 5: whether Senator Ademola Adeleke
having been the first to go past the post in the Osun Gubernatorial election of September 22 should have been declared winner of the election? Opinions on the matter are divided; even lawyers are offering contradictory opinions. Those who do not know what the Constitution looks like have also been busy quoting it. It is partly for this
this course of action. They probably have taken the decision to participate in the rerun election. Once they do so, they may no longer be in a position to raise any a posteriori protest about the election of September 22, as the principle of estoppel by conduct could automatically kick in, and be held against them, and that
Ademola Adeleke
reason that I have argued elsewhere that the wise option before the People’s Democratic party (PDP) and its Osun Gubernatorial candidate, Ademola Adeleke, would be to go to court and seek an interlocutory injunction to stop INEC from going ahead with the proposed re-run until the more substantive issues in the case have been determined. They may also seek an order of mandamus from the court asking INEC to declare the results of the Osun State Gubernatorial election held on September 22. As at the time of this writing, neither the PDP nor Senator Ademola Adeleke has taken
election would be validly inchoate as INEC has declared. Is it not better to put something on record? I am all for testing the law on the issues outlined above, more so as there has been a repeated tendency on the part of INEC, under President Muhammadu Buhari to use the tool of “inconclusive elections” mostly in elections where the ruling party seems to find it difficult to have its way. But why would the PDP and its candidate be reluctant to attempt a legal response at this point? Overconfidence that they will win? Or hope that they could still resort to the Election Petitions Tribunal later, if the
BY REUBEN ABATI need arises? Adeleke and the PDP are probably aware of the declaration by Justice Adamu Abdu-Kafarati, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court at the commencement of the new Legal Year 2018/2019 last week. His Lordship disclosed that High Court Judges have been directed not to grant any stay or interlocutory injunctions in political cases. I don’t think anyone who needs the protection of the courts should be deterred by this. While it is advisable to protect the courts from the antics of political gladiators, I find His Lordship’s directive strange, for it would appear that what he has done is to ask the High Court to divest itself of its own jurisdiction. How can a court divest itself of its own jurisdiction through administrative fiat? Would it not be better to take every case on its own merit, expeditiously of course, and to ensure that the end of justice is served? And perhaps, Adeleke and the PDP are also intimidated by the reference, in the last two days, to the Supreme Court decision in Faleke vs. INEC and anor. (SC. 648/2016) NGSC 84 which is being relied upon by a few to justify INEC’s decision on the September 22 Osun election. It must be noted to start with that the material facts in that case are different, even if there are clear and unambiguous pronouncements in that ruling on the value of election guidelines, the powers of INEC to declare an election inchoate and the effect of Section 179 (2) (a) (b) of the Constitution. My suspicion is that the jurisprudence in Faleke’s case is now being exploited for political reasons. The Supreme Court in that case, may have unwittingly created an argument that it did not originally anticipate. There are unanswered questions: Can we use the Electoral Act or any other subsidiary legislation to vary the provisions of the Constitution? Can we use a subsidiary legislation to write into the Constitution what is not in it? I raise these questions for reflection. This space not being a court of law, I shall proceed no further on this score. It is entirely up to Senator Ademola Adeleke and his Party, to decide Continued on Page 10
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Osun: Election as theatre Continued from Page 8<
whether to go to court or not. But with Adeleke having led the Osun Gubernatorial polls with 254,698 votes to Gboyega Oyetola (APC)’s 254,345, leaving a margin of 353, and the former fulfilling the conditions in Section 179 (2) of the 1999 Constitution, it can be said that the sentiments of the people of Osun State are with Senator Ademola Adeleke and the PDP. The incumbent Governor of Osun State, Raufu Aregbesola and other APC leaders who before Sept. 22 had thought that they would win the election easily must have been shocked that the PDP candidate could put up such a strong performance. What they will also not easily admit is that Adeleke’s performance is from all indications, a vote against Aregbesola and the APC. It is a comment on the prevailing order in that State: a vote against nonpayment of salaries, and pensions, and a comment on the arrogance of the APC elite. It has taken a dancing Senator to remind Governor Aregbesola of the extent of his Party’s popularity in Osun State. That popularity contest will be determined this week. My sympathy is with Ademola Adeleke, and not necessarily because he has the best credentials for the job, but if he is the choice of the people of
Gboyega Oyetola
Osun State, the people should be allowed to make their choice and no deliberate obstacles should be placed in their way. There is probably nothing his opponents have not done to stop him. He was accused of not having the requisite educational qualification for the office: secondary education - and
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was taken to court. The Court summoned the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and asked for clarification via a sworn affidavit. Adeleke was vindicated when the Examinations Council confirmed that he indeed sat for the School Certificate Examination in 1980/81. His critics didn’t give up. They made big capital out of the fact that the Senator, as a secondary school student got an F9 in English language. They turned this into a butt of jokes, except that the law does not require Nigerian politicians to have anything more than fail grades for them to be eligible for office. With his F9 in English, Adeleke can in fact sometime in the future emerge as President or Vice President of Nigeria! His critics still wouldn’t give up. Three days to the election, the Police Headquarters in
Abuja disclosed that Ademola Adeleke and one Sikiru Adeleke are the subject of an investigation involving an alleged fraudulent procurement of NECO certificates. They wanted him to report in Abuja. The President had to intervene and ask the Inspector-General of Police to back off. Adeleke was further cast in the image of a bumbler without brains who only knows how to dance all over the place. I think the fellow himself has not helped matters in this regard, though, but that is certainly not the focus of this commentary. What is certain is that every ad-hominem attack on Senator Adeleke has totally failed. He remains popular with the people of Osun State. This is the same man the people of Osun State gave majority votes on Saturday, September 22 in a Gubernatorial election that paraded 48 political parties and candidates, and they will probably do so again on Thursday. By hounding Ademola Adeleke with everything at their disposal, the Osun APC and their allies elsewhere, have turned him into the ordinary people’s hero. Public sentiment is in his favour, either in Osun or anywhere else in Nigeria, because of the perceived desperation of Continued on Page 11<
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Opinion
OCTOBER 10 - 23 2018
Nigeria’s certificate scandals he number of persons involved in certificate scandals under the Buhari administration may speak to something far deeper in our society, even beyond the administration, but it is to say the least, disgraceful and embarrassing. Ordinarily considered some of the best educated black persons in the world - one US report indicates that Nigerians are among the most educated immigrants in the United States, vertically and horizontally - it is now shameful that Nigerians today are also ironically poster-characters for fake certificates, 419 qualifications, and dubious academic affiliations. This whole saga started, this time, with the President himself whose school certificate qualification became an issue of much speculation and histrionics. The Constitution requires any office-seeker in Nigeria to have the minimum of a secondary education. You are required to go to school till about the age of 16: extremely small education in my reckoning but good enough to enable you read and write, and be able to sign
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documents. The focus on this President’s educational qualification, and the opaqueness that grew around the matter ended up motivating nosey-parkers to begin to look for certificates in the corridors of power, including certificates of participation in the National Youth Service Corps. One of these days, I wouldn’t be surprised if investigators begin to turn their searchlights on birth certificates! In the past, we had the Chicago scandal, we also had the Toronto scandal, today we are a country of too many “Chicagos” and “Torontos.” You will recall that Ms. Kemi Adeosun was accused of dodging the compulsory one-year national service for higher institution graduates. She was pushed to resign her exalted office as Minister of Finance, but her case served the country well in the long run: it brought up issues of citizenship
and the value or non-value of the NYSC. Ms. Adeosun would probably be remembered more in Nigerian history for the manner in which her example generated a conversation around the rights and citizenship of Nigerians in Diaspora, their relationship with their ancestral country, the character of supposedly “trusted associates”, and the long-term relevance of the National Service scheme in a country where there is very little service but a greater obsession with self, entitlement and gratification. Ms. Adeosun has since moved on and Nigerians have left her alone. But there is still the unresolved matter of Okoi Obono-Obla, the President’s Special Adviser on Corruption. He has been accused by a Committee of the House of Representatives of parading a doctored school certificate result. They argue that the School Certificate Result that he holds does not belong to him but to a dead cousin. And that he used that certificate to gain admission to the University of Jos where he studied law.
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By Reuben Abati
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC), the examining authority that should know the truth has also allegedly said that there is something fishy about the certificate in question. In Okoi Obono-Obla’s case, I am a bit confused. As Chairman, Editorial Board and Editorial Page Editor of The Guardian newspapers for more than 10 years, I published opinion pieces, letters to the editor and essays from a certain Okoi Obono-Obla which were always very well written, well-made pieces, and fit for publication. Not one piece from that Okoi Obono-Obla’s sounded like something written by a man who needed to dodge a WAEC examination. ObonoObla’s response to the current allegations is that the matter is already in court and that this is a case of “corruption fighting back” but whatever the truth is, and it is the duty of the court to determine that, the Obono-Obla case makes the Buhari government look really bad. It reinforces a growing Continued on Page 12<
Osun: Election as theatre Continued from Page 10<
the APC. The declaration of the September 22 election merely fuels existing suspicions and the public’s sentiments. This is the more reason why INEC’s integrity and credibility is at stake. It must do everything to demonstrate that it is indeed an independent and unbiased umpire and not an agent of the ruling party. Both INEC and the ruling party must be seen to be consolidating our democracy and do nothing to undermine the country’s jurisprudence. I don’t know whether the INEC Chairman and the Returning Officer for Osun watched the recent US Open Grand Slam final match between Serena Williams and the young Japanese tennis player, Naomi Osaka. There was a lot at stake in that match. If Serena Williams won, she would have matched the record 24 Grand Slam titles won by Australian player, Margaret Court. If Naomi Osaka won, she would be the first Japanese to win the US Open Grand Slam singles championship. But at the end of the match, both players were not the issue, even if Osaka won, but the chair umpire of the match who was accused of harsh calls against Serena Williams. Serena received a code violation warning for smashing her racket, she was accused of cheating, she was penalized a game for “verbal abuse.” The drama took the sweetness out of Naomi Osaka’s
Iyiola Omisore
victory. INEC as umpire in the Osun election should avoid the temptation to turn itself into an issue. Senator Ademola Adeleke and his Party may be ahead with 353 votes so far, but having chosen to participate in the rerun, they must be aware that the two-horse race they have signed up for on Thursday can go in either direction.
They must not smash their rackets. They must eschew verbal abuse. They should keep their eyes on the ball. They must appeal to the people of Osun State to be vigilant and the voters in the local councils where the rerun will be held should come out en masse as they did last Saturday. One more piece of advice for Adeleke: to win that election, he
must cultivate the friendship of other opposition leaders in the State. Other PDP leaders, including Senate President Bukola Saraki and Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, have been helping him to talk to Senator Iyiola Omisore, who has now emerged as the “beautiful bride” of the supplementary election, since most of the votes at stake on Thursday are concentrated in his political strongholds - Ife North and Ife South. Adeleke should reach out to him personally, and encourage him to mobilise his supporters to back the PDP - a party he defected from just before this same election. The APC are also talking to Omisore and he has set up a technical team to weigh the options before the Osun State Social Democratic Party (SDP). Omisore faces a critical moment in his political career. He must make a wise choice. Victory for Adeleke will shore up INEC’s credibility, allay all fears of manipulation, and create opportunity for the emergence of an inclusive government in Osun State, with implications for subsequent elections in 2019. But of course, the APC is not going to drop the ball either on account of public sentiments. Governor Rauf Aregbesola will seek to protect his legacy and future, and also seek to avoid the “Ekiti outcome.” Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola will also want victory for himself. May the people’s will prevail.
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Opinion
Nigeria’s certificate scandals Continued from Page 11<
narrative that there are too many persons in high places who cannot defend what they claim they are, under a government that flies integrity as a proof of innocence and virginity. And there is Adebayo Shittu, the voluble, bearded Minister of Communications – the guy didn’t participate in the National Youth Service Corps. Ms Adeosun’s defenders talked about citizenship and her betrayal by “trusted associates”. They put up a spirited defence for her. In Adebayo Shittu’s case, the guy has the stupid effrontery to come forward to say that he did not enrol for the NYSC because he thought his membership of the Oyo State House of Assembly was the equivalent of a National service. I have heard a lot of stupid comments in my short life-time but this certainly must be the worst of them all. To worsen matters further, Shittu is said to be a lawyer, duly called to the Nigerian Bar. And he talks like that? Too many of this type are all over the place defending illegalities, and yet they would be the first to tell you I am a Barrister even when every year at Call to Bar ceremonies, fresh wigs are advised not to go about threatening people with the redundant title of Barrister this and Barrister that. The APC has had cause to disqualify Adebayo Shittu from participating in the APC Governorship primaries in Oyo State. Good for him. He has also been quoted as saying he is now ready to enrol for the NYSC. As the Yoruba will say: “Igbayi laaro”. In pidgin: “na now him just dey realize say NYSC important?” In street talk: “commot there, no dey talk nonsense”. The NYSC Act is very clear. It needs no golden interpretation. Shittu has committed a felony. He has convicted himself with his own mouth. He has raised further questions about the administration’s commitment to the rule of law. There is also the case of the Governor of Adamawa State, Jibrilla Bindow, who has been accused of forging his school certificate qualification. Bindow is seeking a second term as Governor of Adamawa State. His opponents, principally named Global Integrity and Crusade Network (GICN) have now chosen to tell us that the man did not even complete secondary school. They have given WAEC an ultimatum to tell Nigerians whether or not Bindow who had served previously as Senator of the Federal Republic, has a Secondary School Certificate in accordance with the laws of the land. They claim he has not been able to make any difference as Governor because he is a secondary school dropout. But surely, it is not only the ruling
All Progressives Congress that has this problem. Senator Ademola Adeleke, the Governor the people of Osun State wanted but the APC blocked, also obviously has issues with his academic qualifications. They say the man did not have a School Certificate. WAEC confirmed he had one. Then the Police accused him of having sat for the 2017 National Examination Council Examination (NECO) via a proxy. What we remember though is that he allegedly had an F9 in the School Certificate Examination. He didn’t deny that and yet he wanted to be Governor! Under President Buhari, Nigeria is at the level of F9 and fake certificates. Let me nail this down. These stories, either from the APC or PDP or any other side do not help Nigeria’s image. I imagine that if any Nigerian were to go anywhere in the world today, and present the best, most impressive credentials, the relevant authorities would still go behind to double-check. Many of our students today who go abroad for additional educational opportunities are routinely asked to take extra tests that candidates from other countries are not required to take. When the rest of the world hears that Nigerian political leaders, the same persons who are supposed to take serious decisions about national, bilateral and multilateral relations are a bunch of semi-illiterates, draft dodgers, and uneducated semiilliterates, they are bound to look at the rest of us as imbeciles. Japan, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Bangladesh and the United States have some of the best educated persons in the world. Every serious country promotes its best people. In Nigeria, we promote the worst of the pack in a country where there are more than enough people with credible qualifications. We don’t’ recognize such people. Instead we send to the international community, people who could not pass School certificate, the equivalent of the IGSCE in the United Kingdom, school drop-outs who have no clue about important governance issues – these are the ones we send out to go engage better educated and more enlightened persons. In the end, the Buhari government prefers to take its time to respond to this issue that has become a major issue of his time as President. It may be said that President Buhari is a bad judge of character - he should never have associated with or recruited all these characters giving him problems in the first place, but how about the institutions whose job it is to screen political appointees and every other person in the public sphere? Senator Abiola Ajimobi has been Governor of Oyo State for two terms but I understand someone is also saying he too, does not have an NYSC certificate. If he has an NYSC
certificate, he should display it rightaway and put his accusers to shame. I really don’t understand what is going on. What is the meaning of this certificate problem in a country where there are people who can put every needed certificate on the table and yet they are the ones who are unemployed and the ones who have issues are the ones running government? The relevant security agencies continue to disappoint the country and a lot of political crises are generated in part because the security agencies are politically compromised. Nobody can aspire to public office in Nigeria except they have been screened by the security agencies. What happened to that process under President Buhari’s watch? For, the forgery of school certificates is a form of corruption. I am saying that certificate scandal is the worst form of corruption. Right now, our political representatives are no longer respected abroad. Who wants to talk to a diplomat whose basic education is uncertain? Who wants to take a country seriously where a State Governor says “We works” instead of “We worked”. And you have a President who is very comfortable with all of these? President Buhari needs to clean up
By Reuben Abati
his cabinet, do a complete audit. He should appeal to all the men who have certificate problems in his cabinet to do him a favour and ship out voluntarily. I won’t be surprised if the same investigative journalists who ousted the cases mentioned have even more scandalous examples in their file and may release bigger blows in the day ahead. Who are these people? Common certificate they don’t even have and they want to rule Nigeria! The diplomats serving in Nigeria must be laughing at us in the dispatches they send home. The President has a responsibility to act on all of these cases, to determine the credibility of these allegations and to prove that his government is sincere about the anti-corruption campaign across all genres. Continued on Page 13 >
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Opinion
OCTOBER 10 - 23 2018
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Ambode vs. Tinubu Continued from Page 13<
fter two postponements, the All Progressives Congress (APC) Party’s Governorship Primary will hopefully hold at last, in Lagos today, October 2. The Godfather of Lagos APC politics, if you are truly partisan, you can delete APC and say Asiwaju Bola Tinubu - effectively dominates all of Lagos politically, and has publicly declared that whereas the incumbent Governor Akinwunmi Ambode wants a second term in office, he, the Godfather and the Party leaders no longer want him. Ambode’s crime as stated, for more than two weeks is that he has refused to carry relevant stakeholders “along”, whatever that means. The godfather changed the narrative on Sunday when he disclosed that Ambode’s crime is that he failed to implement a “blueprint” for the development of the State. Ambode is fighting back. He called a World Press Conference and called Babajide SanwoOlu, the consensus candidate who has been handpicked to replace him, names. When this crisis occurred, Ambode who was brought to power by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu begged his godfather and benefactor. He was ignored. Ambode’s wife also went before the grandmaster of APC politics in Lagos State. She was treated politely and dismissed. Sanwo-olu has the support of 36 members of the State House of Assembly, all local Government Chairmen and Chairmen of Local Development Council Areas, Party leaders, and Lagos APC members in the National Assembly. Ambode has
A
Ambode and Tinubu
only the support of local councillors and a segment of public opinion. From the look of things, Ambode as they say, is a “goner”. But that is not the story. The story is that after all the begging and genuflection, Ambode is now standing up for a fight. On Sunday at a World Press Conference, he pulled off his gloves and resolved to engage in a bareknuckle fight. He accused his opponent, the Asiwaju camp’s candidate of fraud, incompetence and incapability. SanwoOlu has refused to respond in like directly, except may be through proxies, knowing clearly that he still serves in the government of the same man whose office he wants to take. If Sanwo-Olu is so bad, why is Ambode still retaining
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him as Managing Director of the Lagos State Development and Property Corporation (LSDPC)? But of course, the fight is not between the two of them, it is between Ambode and Tinubu. Tinubu accuses him of abandoning a blueprint. Who are the authors of that blueprint? Is it a constitutional matter that a Governor must be held hostage by a document prepared long before he
assumed office? What is the content of that blueprint, if the rest of us may ask? I like the fight between Godfather and Godson. There will be no winners at the end of the day. There will only be losers on both sides. One, the Ambode saga has already exposed Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s vulnerability. His political legacy is at stake. Ambode, having been pushed to the wall has become the underdog who is ready to shake the table. He has pushed the table. Two, Ambode is fighting the battle of his political life. If he defeats Tinubu, he would have re-made himself into a political force. If he loses, he would still have succeeded in exposing the evil of the Godfather syndrome in Nigerian politics. His travails may end up turning him into a hero. Three: nobody is talking about us: we the people, in this entire equation. We know that. Four, whatever happens in Lagos has implications for President Muhammadu Buhari’s fortune in the general elections of 2019. Lagos, not Osun, is the ultimate test for President Buhari’s chances in 2019. But let’s thank Ambode for shaking the table. Whether or not he wins today is not the issue. It is what comes the day after. We wait.
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TheTrumpet OCTOBER 10 - 23 2018
Sport
OCTOBER 10 - 23 2018
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Horn of Africa Development Initiative wins FIFA Diversity Award enya’s Horn of Africa Development Initiative (HODI), who are using the power of football to combat social barriers while fostering safety, have won the FIFA Diversity Award 2018. Moderated by sports journalist and broadcaster Amanda Davies, the event was a rich showcase of best practice on diversity and anti-discrimination through football, with representatives of diverse organisations from around the globe present, including the award’s finalists: John Moriarty Football (Australia) and Show Racism the Red Card (UK). The ceremony included a keynote speech by FIFA Council Member and member of the Diversity Award jury - Lydia Nsekera of Burundi and a panel with Di Cunningham of Three Lions Pride and Proud Canaries, Piara Powar of Fare Network and FIFA’s Head of Sustainability & Diversity - Federico Addiechi. All provided an insightful discussion into combating prejudice and promoting diversity through football. FIFA Legend and former Canada women’s goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc also gave a talk on stage before a panel with the three finalists took place with Noor Abdulkadir of HODI, Fiona Hekking of John Moriarty Football and Ged Grebby of
K
Show Racism the Red Card - highlighting their esteemed work in the fight against discrimination. HODI was then presented with the award by Nsekera. Working closely with schools, HODI supports adolescent girls in breaking the silence on issues that affect them, sharing information on life skills and creating a safe space for them to learn and play football. The organisation’s flagship programme Shoot to Score helps to prevent young children from being forced into ethnic rivalry and conflict, providing safe spaces for learning a culture of non-violence through football. “This award is an important recognition and puts the wind behind our sails. It means the work we are doing is important and it gives a lot of confidence to young women in northern Kenya that we are on the right track - that FIFA and the whole football community is behind us,” said HODI’s Noor Abdulkadir. “Some of the girls when they started with us, they were not allowed to kick a ball. Now they can use football to stand up for their rights and fight all forms of gender discrimination they face. “Football has given them confidence. They have the confidence to stand up against arranged marriage or female genital
Horn of Africa Development Initiative wins FIFA Diversity Award
mutilation in northern Kenya and report it. We are trying to change the narrative. “This award shows that football is not just about the top leagues or top players – it’s about recognising grassroots organisations which are using football to build new stars in remote regions in the world.” The FIFA Diversity Award was first introduced in 2016 to recognise an
outstanding organisation, group initiative or personality that is standing up for diversity and anti-discrimination in football. The aim of highlighting such organisations is to inspire others to take up the cause and use football to fight prejudice and promote inclusion. Previous recipients are: Slum Soccer (India) in 2016 and Soccer Without Borders (USA/Nicaragua/Uganda) in 2017.
FIFA Secretary General - Fatma Samoura honoured
FIFA Secretary-General - Fatma Samba Samoura Diouf
IFA Secretary General - Fatma Samba Samoura Diouf has been conferred with the African Renaissance & Diaspora Network’s (ARDN) first ever Award for Sport. The award recognises the Senegalese native’s commitment and dedication to the
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development of humanitarian causes and her championing of diversity and gender equality. Having spent 21 years working on high level United Nations (UN) programmes in Italy, the Republic of Djibouti, Cameroon, Chad, Guinea, Niger, Madagascar and Nigeria, Fatma Samoura is well known for her commitment to furthering humanitarian causes. It was this commitment and tenacity that led to her being chosen as FIFA’s Secretary General in May 2016. As the first African and woman to hold the position of FIFA Secretary General, Samoura is a trailblazer for diversity and gender equality. Since her appointment at FIFA, the number of women employed by the organisation has increased across the board including in senior management roles. Speaking about receiving the first ever African Renaissance and Diaspora Network Award for Sport Fatma Samoura said: “I am humbled and greatly honoured to receive this award. To be recognised for my contributions to humanitarian causes during my time working with the UN, and now for my work at FIFA to promote diversity and equality is wonderful and will encourage me to persevere. The progress train has left the station!”
Revered Jesse Jackson joined Fatma Samoura in receiving an ARDN accolade, its first ever Award for Civil Society in recognition of his lifetime achievement as a social leader, civil rights activist and founder of the Rainbow Push Foundation which pursues social justice and political activism. In addition, singer, songwriter, producer and entrepreneur Akon (Aliaume Damala Badara Akon Thiam) received the ARDN’s first ever Award for Art and Culture in recognition of his achievements as a musician, rapper and advocate for the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Akon is a
proud member of the African diaspora having spent many of his early years in Senegal. The African Renaissance & Diaspora Network (ARDN) is a non-profit organisation based in the United States of America that aims to co-ordinate and unite the efforts of people and organisations towards supporting the advent of African renaissance by fostering unity between African Nations and all people of African descent. It supports and furthers the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and processes as they relate to Africa and the African Diaspora.
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