Tambuwal ‘withdraws’ from presidential race

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, has given up his ambition to contest the 2015 presidential election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, his political associates said Tuesday.

Lawmakers close to the speaker told PREMIUM TIMES that Tambuwal was standing down despite pressure on him to go ahead with the presidential race.

“Despite the pressure from us and from others on him to contest the presidential election, the speaker, I believe, is trying to withdraw,” a senior lawmaker said.

The speaker will now contest as the governor of his home Sokoto State, the source said.

Tambuwal’s office did not confirm or deny if he was standing down.

His spokesperson, Imam Imam, said if any decision was taken, it would be duly made public.

But sources told PREMIUM TIMES Tambuwal will no longer challenge a former head of state, Muhammadu Buhari, and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who are also vying for APC’s presidential ticket.

The speaker joined the presidential race last week after defecting from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to opposition APC in October.

His defection triggered a fierce controversy over whether he should remain speaker since the APC is in minority in the House of Representatives.

In response, President Goodluck Jonathan ordered the withdrawal of Tambuwal’s police protection.

On Monday, Tambuwal withdrew a lawsuit challenging the government’s decision to strip him of state protection.

The speaker’s office had earlier said Tambuwal was drafted into the presidential race by lawmakers who purchased the party’s nomination forms on his behalf.

World Toilet Day: 43 millions Nigerians don’t have access to toilet

As the World Toilet Day is marked today, Wednesday, 19 November, statistics by the United Nations has shown that 34 million Nigerians do not have access to toilets.

This is part of a 2.5 billion (40%) global population of people without access to toilets.

The road toward awareness creation and call to action started in 2001 when a Singapore business tycoon, Jack Sim left his lucrative investment in the construction industry to establish the Restroom Association of Singapore and World Toilet Organization (WTO).

 In that same year – just months after -, he received the Schwab Foundation award for Social Entrepreneur of the Year for “creating good will and bringing the subject into the open” and “mobilizing national support in providing on-the-ground expertise.” Sim was also named one of the Heroes of the Environment for 2008 by Time Magazine.

With this singular act, Sim broke the global taboo of toilet and sanitation by making it a global event that is marked on November 19 every year. 

Today, WTO is a growing network of 235 organisations in 58 countries including Nigeria where a “World Toilet Day” is celebrated to create awareness towards improving the state of toilets and sanitation globally. This year’s theme is anchored around “Equality and Dignity.”

In Nigeria, Reckitt Benckiser, a multi-national company and the apparent market leader in health, hygiene and home care products, will be using the occasion to create awareness through its Harpic brand on why clean toilets are relevant in the society.

 It will be doing this through the promotion of discourse and debate on toilets and concomitant sanitation issues that are seen by many public health analysts as a ticking time bomb which affects billions of people around the world. 

Regrettably, this issue has been severely neglected on the global development agenda, which is why the UN is getting actively involved.

This day is significant considering the fact that Nigeria was only recently certified Ebola free by the World Health Organization after one of the most frightening public health scare this nation has ever witnessed.

So why do we have to bother about toilets in the first place? 

According to the WTO, a clean and safe toilet ensures health, dignity and well-being for people. The theme for the year seeks to put a spotlight on the threat of sexual violence that women and girls face due to the loss of privacy as well as the inequalities that are present in usability.

Because of lack of toilets, many practice open defecation which often comes with lack of privacy, health hazards and environmental concerns. In some places, women and young girls are vulnerable to attacks – like rape – when they go into open spaces to defecate.

 Equally too, toilets generally remain inadequate for populations with special needs, such as the disabled and elderly, and women and girls requiring facilities to manage menstrual hygiene.

With the hashtag #WeCantWait, the Day provides an opportunity to inspire action and underscore the urgency needed to end open defecation, which is why all hands must be on deck to create the awareness and point to the dangers of continuing the practice.

The UN revealed that 1000 children died per day from diarrhea related diseases due to poor sanitation in 2013, most of this sanitation issues revolve around inadequate toilet facilities mainly in developing countries. These deaths – unfortunate as they are – are preventable. It is disheartening that the 2015 goal to halve the proportion of people living without sanitation is running 150 years behind schedule as 1 billion (15 % of the world population) still practice open defecation.

The lack of toilets in some communities is an endemic problem. However, the questions many stakeholders are asking is: where there are toilets? 

The absence of poor management and hygienic maintenance, they say, are equally serious issues.

2015 Poll: SERAP Charges PDP, APC to disclose spending

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), has requested the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as well as All Progressive Congress (APC), to formally release costs of spending incurred in their efforts geared towards the 2015 General election.

Adetokunbo Mumuni, Executive Director of SERAP, in two separate letters dated 18 November, 2014, and addressed to Alhaji Ahmadu Adamu Mu’azu, PDP National Chairman and Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, the APC National Chairman, requested the parties to publicly present information about the spending on the electoral campaigns and other operations in line with the February 2015 elections.

The Civil society group, SERAP hinged its request letter on Section 1 of the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) of 2011, when it said: “Under the FOI Act, your party is under a binding legal obligation to provide the applicant with the information requested for, except as otherwise provided by the Act, within 7 days after the application is received.”

Similarly, SERAP maintained that “If the requested information is not provided to us within 14 days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter, the Registered Trustees of SERAP shall take all appropriate legal actions under the Freedom of Information Act to compel you and your party to comply with our request,”.

Embittered about the risks and increase in corrupt practices around the country during electoral campaigns for the general elections, the group expressed dedicated worries, especially the role of money in politics and the persistent failure generally to comply with national and international law on political party finance.

In addition, the Executive Director further stressed that Nigerians have the right to know about spending by political parties especially the major parties “like your party with a strong possibility to assume government in the future. Citizens should be able to examine financial transactions of parties and be certain that politicians are working for their voters, not their benefactors.”

However, SERAP noted that the parties cannot claim a strange position from the FOI Act, saying “to do so will seriously undermine citizens’ trust in their political parties and lack of trust will inevitably destroy confidence in the system and decrease citizens’ interest and participation in democratic processes.”

The letter signed by the Executive Director, reads: “We believe that without free and fair elections there can be no democracy. However, elections are only one part of the democratic process, and a fair and effective electoral system must be founded in an adequate democratic infrastructure and responsibility of political leaders.

“Therefore, releasing the information will help to address the perception among the citizens that the major political parties in the countries are less transparent and accountable. The lack of transparency and accountability in political finance is seriously undermining the legitimacy and credibility of the democratic and electoral processes, and invariably contributing to denying the citizens the right to effective participation in their own government.

Senate fails to approve emergency rule

The Senate on Tuesday created uncertainty over the state of emergency rule in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States.

The upper chamber failed to approve President Goodluck Jonathan’s request for further extension of emergency rule in the affected states.

Senate President, David Mark, announced after over two hours closed door session that debate on Jonathan’s request will continue on Wednesday.

Mark said: The Senate in a closed session discussed the letter by the President for the extension of state of emergency. We had a very extensive debate on it and we will continue with the debate tomorrow (Wednesday). Is this a true reflection of what happened?”

The Senators chorused “yes.”

Jonathan had in a letter entitled: “Re: Extension of the period for the Proclamation of a state of emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States,” and  dated 17th November, 2014 asked the Senate to endorse further extension of the period of emergency rule in the three states.

The letter reads in part, “May  I respectfully draw your attention to the State of Emergency Proclamation 2013, in respect of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States, which was approved by the National Assembly and extended for a further period of six months by the National Assembly as conveyed by  the Clerk of the National Assembly’s letter dated 21st May 2014.

“By virtue of the provisions of Section 305(6)© of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended, the Proclamation aforementioned will elapse after a period of six months from the date of approval of the National Assembly except the period is extended by the National Assembly.

“It is important to state that despite concerted efforts by this administration to stem the tide of terrorism and insurgency in the affected states, the security challenges that necessitated the Proclamation are yet to abate.

“Consequently, it has become imperative to request the approval of the State for extension of the period for the State of Emergency for a further period of six months.

“In view of the foregoing, I most respectfully request Distinguished Senators to consider and approve by resolution the extension of the Proclamation of the State of Emergency by further period of six months from the date of expiration of the current period.”

Before the Senate went into closed session to consider the letter, some Senators attempted to block even the consideration of the letter.

The Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, had moved that the Senate should resolve into Executive Session to consider the presidential request.

What followed was a deafening “nay” when Mark put the question.

Apparently taken aback, Mark explained that all he asked was the approval of the chamber to consider the presidential letter on extension of state of emergency.

He noted that saying that the letter should not be discussed should be out of the way since the Senate was bound to debate the letter to take a position whether to approve the request or withhold approval.

Mark noted that it was only during the consideration of the letter that Senators could make their contributions whether to endorse the request or not.

After his explanation which seemed to have calmed frayed nerves, Mark again put the question for the Senate to consider the letter.

The mood in the Senate slightly changed as the lawmakers gave their approval that the letter should be considered.

Senate confirms Mohammed as CJN

The Senate on Tuesday confirmed the nomination of Justice Mahmud Mohammed as the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN).

The confirmation was in line with Section 231(1) of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

Before Mohammed was asked to “take a bow and go” Senators drilled Mohammed in a question and answer session.

Mohammed described prosecutors as major clogs in the wheel of judicial system in the country.

He also said that contrary to insinuations, nothing in the constitution stops the President from appointing the CJN from body of legal practitioners in the country.

The CJN designate opposed the creation of special courts to deal with special cases like corruption.

He noted that with the right frame of mind and the will to prosecute, no corruption case would last more than one week.

He insisted that the problem is not with the courts but with the personnel in the courts.

He said, “Honestly I do not support the creation of special courts specifically to deal with cases like corruption and so on. It is human beings who are managing the courts. It is not the court itself. No matter who you put there, if his integrity is not in good shape you will see that the matters will not move.

“It does not matter the name of the court but the actual personnel in the court. That is why as far as I am concerned, all these corruption cases could be dealt with by courts which are already in place.”