Ekiti PDP suspends Fayose, others

Ekiti State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) crisis deepened yesterday, with the suspension of ex-governor Ayo Fayose and three other executive members for their alleged roles in last week’s bloody clash at the party secretariat in Ado-Ekiti.

Also suspended are: Secretary of the Party, Dr Tope Aluko, Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Oluwawole and Women Leader, Mrs Busola Oyebode, The party has been embroiled in crisis over who will be its torch bearer in next year’s governorship election. State party chairman Makanjuola Ogundipe said the State Working Committee took the decision “having found them culpable of anti-party activities and acts of insubordination.”

 Ogundipe explained that “the PDP is a disciplined party and would not tolerate any act of indiscipline from any of its members, no matter how highly placed.” According to him, last week’s attack on the PDP Secretariat was “unwarranted, irresponsible and most uncalled-for, looking at the efforts we have made to ensure everyone within the party is given a sense of belonging.” “When President Goodluck Jonathan speaks, it becomes law. Consensus is part of the ways of doing this in democracy. But the consensus is not going to be an imposition. PDP as a party that believes in internal democracy, so we are not going to impose any candidate. The consensus arrangement would be done in such a way that everyone would be carried along and given a sense of belonging”.

In respect of his suspension by seven members of the SWC for purported “high handedness and corruption”, Ogundipe noted that “those who claimed to have suspended me lack the power to do so according to Section 21(9) of the party’s constitution”, adding that “only the National Executive Council of the party can suspend me.” He added: “Anybody sitting in Ado Ekiti and saying he has suspended me must be a huge joker. Only the National Executive Council can suspend me in line with section 21(9) of the PDP Constitution. “Where did they derive their powers. It is either those people are mischievous or ignorant of the Constitution. Our National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur still recognises me as the authentic Chairman of PDP in Ekiti”. Fayose faulted his suspension which he described as “an ignoble news.” Director of Media of the Fayose Campaign Organisation Idowu Adelusi, told reporters on telephone: “you don’t suspend from the top (state level) but from below (ward level). He said: “It is news to us. It is an ignorable news. Ogundipe is not a member of Fayose’s ward. He cannot do that. “You can only suspend from the ward level. Suspending Fayose from the PDP is like suspending PDP from Ekiti. Ogundipe must learn from the past. Fayose is an institution in Ekiti politics and it will be funny for anybody to suspend him from the party.”

#ChildNotBride – Who Is Responsible? State, Parents or Both?

The recent Constitutional Review carried out by the Nigerian Senate caused agitation and uproar, when the Senate resolved to retain section 29(4)(b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (CFRN). Taken literally, this provision of the CFRN provides that for the purpose of renunciation of Nigerian citizenship, any woman is deemed to be of full age. After this resolution, Nigerians home and abroad began a campaign- #ChildNotBride- on the premise that the retention of this provision of the CFRN somehow endorses child marriage. I have written a seminal piece on this misguided premise, so I would spare you the details. It suffices to say that section 29(4)(b) CFRN does not endorse child marriage- if this provision is deleted, it still does not affect the fact that under Customary or Islamic Law, child marriage is not prohibited. It is shameful that while our neighbours like Ghana are planning to increase d marriageable age from 21 to 23 years, Nigeria is debating whether or not child marriage should be allowed. Simpliciter, child marriage is repulsive, reprehensible, appalling, abhorrent, etc. Sorry to disappoint those that signed the online petition to the United Nations (UN) which, in my opinion, is for the right cause, but was rather hasty and misguided. Unfortunately, it will not be considered by the UN because it seeks intervention in matters of a purely domestic concern and Article 2(7) of the UN Charter clearly states that the UN shall not intervene in such matters- it is an affirmation of the doctrine of non-intervention in international law, which is a corollary of the principle of sovereignty. If the UN had such competence, why has it not intervened in Saudi Arabia? Be that as it may, as an objective lawyer, this article is not about the condemnation of child marriage; it is about who should be held responsible? Who should the #ChildNotBride campaign be targeted at- National/State Houses of Assembly or the parents of the victims of child marriage? First, the CFRN safeguards a person’s right to religious freedom, which is also guaranteed by international instruments like Article 18, Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and Article 8, African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. Nonetheless, this right to religious freedom is not absolute; it is subject to restrictions “in the interest of … public order, public morality or public health or for the purpose of protecting the rights and freedom or other persons” (s.45 CFRN). Further, Item 61 on the Exclusive Legislative List (ELL) in the CFRN prohibits the National Assembly (NASS) from legislating on matters involving marriages contracted under Islamic or Customary Law. As such, NASS may only restrict a person’s right to religious freedom in the context of legislating on a minimum marriageable age, if s.45 CFRN is satisfied. Second, if NASS is able to satisfy s.45 CFRN on grounds of public morality or public health or for the purpose of protecting the rights and freedom of children (as protected in the Child Rights Act (CRA)), before such legislation can be passed, Item 61 on the ELL has to be amended in order for NASS to have legislative competence over marriages contracted under Islamic or Customary Law. The procedure for amendment is rigorous (see s.9 CFRN) and considering that the main target of such law is Islamic marriages, it is debatable whether the Northern State Houses of Assembly would vote in favour of such amendment.

FAAN, stakeholders differ on low patronage of Kano airport, others

Aside Lagos and Abuja, no other airport in the country attracts passengers due to the fact that the bulk of international operations are done at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, thereby rendering many of the refurbished international airport terminals redundant.

The situation equally brings to question the rationale for engaging in airport remodelling simultaneously in all the airports across the country. Until the mid-1990s, the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) was the second-most active airport in Nigeria.

 At the time, more than half of the international flights into the country chose Kano as either the final destination, a transit point or stopover field. International airlines like British Caledonian, KLM, Iberia and Saudi Air favoured the airport not only because of its safety record, but also because its handling facilities ensured a quick turnaround.

Kabo Air, Nigeria Airways, Okada Air and other domestic carriers had at least three daily flights into Kano. The airport was vibrant and the activities there improved Kano State’s Gross Domestic Product. Garment traders from the northern part of the country, whose imported Dutch-waxed clothes entered Nigeria through the airport, kept Nigerian customs and immigration service officers busy.

 While Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos was notorious for surging touts that overcrowded the entrance to the terminal’s building, Mallam Aminu Kano airport’s entrance was well managed with a systematic boarding pattern. Until 1999 at least 40 flights operated in and out of Kano.  Read more here

Senator Ahmed Sani Yerima Replies Critics

Nigeria has many uncountable problems and none of them is early marriage. As a matter of fact early marriage is the solution to about half of our problems. For those who wonder if I can give my daughter(s) out in marriage at the age of 9 or 13, I tell you most honestly, I can give her out at the age of 6 if I want to and its not your business. This is because I am a Muslim and I follow the example of the best of mankind, Muhammad ﺻَﻠَّﻰ ﺍﻟﻠَّﻪُ ﻋَﻠَﻴْﻪِ ﻭَﺳَﻠَّﻢَ .

In Islam, marriage is not only about sex, it is about family and helping one another in achieving their goals, which is the attainment of Paradise.


In Islam, a girl can be given out in marriage as early as 6 years old, but consummation of the marriage can only be done when the girl becomes physically mature and she gives her consent to it because unlike English law, it is not permissible for a man to rape his wife in Shari’ah Law.

So what can anybody tell me?

~ I live in a city where young girls at the age of 12 have already became serial fornicators and cannot count the number of man they’ve had sex with.
~ I live in a City where primary school children disvirgin themselves behind toilets on Valentine day.
~ I live in a city where young girls flood the street at night looking for men that would give them N500 to have sex with them.
~ I live in a city where parents send their daughters out overseas to prostitute and send dollars down.
~ I live in a City where Government officials pick undergraduates from University car parks with Coastal Buses to wild sex parties.
~ I live in a city where abortion is so common that even a Chemist store owner can perform abortion with just N2,500.

These are your daughters, and this should worry you and not Yerima’s private matters. So ask me again why I support early marriage and I will slap the Jinn out of your head.

Miss Bayelsa, Anna Banner Wins 2013 MBGN

18 year old Anna Ebiere Banner, representing Bayelsa State, beat 31 other contestants to emerge the 2013 Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria queen. The pageant took place in Bayelsa last Saturday. Congrats to her!

Why I’m at ‘war with First Lady,’ by Soyinka

AT 79, Africa’s first Nobel Laureate in Literature, Prof. Wole Soyinka, seems not to have lost his zeal for standing up against those he perceives to use their public office to oppress others in Nigeria.

And though the afternoon open-door lecture series was supposed to be a commemoration of his birthday, he quickly swapped the garment of a celebrant with that of a political activist as it became necessary.

 Referring to the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan’s alleged meddling in the affairs of Rivers State and abuse of power, Soyinka asked, “What’s the problem with Madam Shepopotamus?” Fielding questions from a member of the audience at the African Centre in Covent Garden, venue of Saturday’s “WS79 – Memoirs of Our Future: An Audience with Prof. Wole Soyinka,” he said he was not afraid to stand up and call the First Lady to order and also educate her if she cannot take a cue from how other first ladies behave. “People said I call her a domestic appendage, what’s the problem with that?

 What’s the problem with Madam Shepopotamus?” Pressed to comment on the lingering political crisis in Rivers State, Soyinka revealed: “What happened in Rivers began long ago, before five decided that five was greater than 27. If we don’t move in support of the truth at certain mathematics, we shouldn’t be surprised if the next mathematics anomaly takes place at our doorstep.” He added: “We move when there’s interference, when all roads are closed – for hours - because she’s going to her hairdresser.”

 He argued that if members of the civil society do nothing when such abuse is taking place in Rivers, Ibadan and Lagos, then Nigerians should not be surprised when a curfew is imposed the next time she is visiting their state. Read more here

Dear Men, Here Are The List Of Things We Find Unappealing About You- Women

When a woman loves, she loves whole-heartedly. And when a woman hates… Well complete it. Men aren’t the only ones who get turned off by some attitudes or behaviours in their spouses, women feel this way too and even though she might not voice it, she does feel it.
If you do any of the things listed below as a man, then it is time to change cos your woman is certainly not feeling it…

 ~Noise making: just as a man loves his woman to act like a lady, a woman also loves her boo to act like a gentleman. If you aren’t a bus driver/conductor then why in God’s name do you act like that behind the wheels? Why do you yell at every passing vehicle in traffic? Why do you raise your voice in public? Why do you create unnecessary attention to yourself wherever you go? What’s wrong with you? If your spouse isn’t a pepper seller or a local woman from your village, then trust me, she’s hating that part of you deep inside.

~Dressing: oh trust me I have seen grown men sagging. And I always wonder, are they out of their freaking minds? I have also seen grown men, walk around in clothes Wiz kid and Davido (and the rest of the music gangsters wear) would wear and it seriously makes me wonder. You know why Wiz kid dresses the way he does? Well cos he’s wiz KID. And Davido says he’s 20 so yes, he’s still allowed to dress however. You see my friend, when you are grown, everything including your style grows with you. You ditch the Kanye like gangster clothes for Jay Z/Dare art Alade like clothes. Yes, clothes for grown ups become your style. You ditch the saggy jeans for a clean-cut suit and dress like a grown up. Women love that. Women love grown up men. Dressing like an adult is what is appealing to a woman.

 ~Dirty men: some men can wear the same underwear for days without washing them. How far na?

 ~Liar: a man who lies is unattractive to a woman. No woman wants to have to check everytime to know if her man is being truthful or not. There are so many important things in life that one has to worry about. A lying man shouldn’t be one of them.

 ~Drunk men: no woman wants a man who hangs out with his friends, gets drunk and starts acting irrational. That’s childish, that’s ridiculous and that’s unappealing.

 ~Overprotectiveness: yes, a woman wants you to care. No, a woman doesn’t want you breathing down her neck everytime. She needs you to trust her, back off already.

~Promiscuity: no woman in love wants to share her man. None whatsoever. If as a man you can’t keep your hands off the cookie jar, a woman would find you too risky to be with. And can you blame her?


Tomilola/360nobs