THE Board of Trustees, BOT of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday adopted the former Secretary of the party, Dr. Okwisilieze Nwodo, as the next National Chairman of the party.

AFTER what it considers as the failure of moral persuasion, “naming and shaming” of employers who have failed to comply with the provisions of the Pension Reform Act 2004, the National Pension Commission, PENCOM, yesterday, in Lagos, said it would in the next one month drag defaulting employers to court

THE Presidency may have turned down request by some oil companies calling for a probe of the Federal Government’s approval of the $600 million renewal fee in respect of oil mining leases, OMLs, for Mobil Producing Nigeria, MPN, as approved by then President Umaru Yar’Adua.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, yesterday brought fresh fraud charges involving N1.7billion against six principal officials of Kogi State government before a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.

THE Borno State Commissioner of Housing and Rural Electrification, Alhaji Umar Abatcha, has promised the people of the state that Governor Modu Sheriff’s administration is poised to provide better accommodation for civil servants at a subsidized rate after the completion of the on-going multi-billion naira 1000 housing units along Maiduguri-Damaturu road.

Instructively, United Nations Declaration against Torture, recognises it as “any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person, information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity”.

Professor Attahiru Jega (OFR) is Professor of Political Science and Vice Chancellor at the Bayero University, Kano, BUK. He became the Vice Chancellor of the university in 2005. His tenure as Vice Chancellor is supposed to end in October this year.

OUR contemporary civil society movement grew from the late 1980s. In 1988, concerned by the near absence of the movement, the Nigeria Medical Association(NMA), the Nigeria Bar Association(NBA) and the Nigeria Union Of Journalists(NUJ) decided to raise consciousness by holding a joint national commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

AFTER six hours of deliberations on state matters, a well attended National Council of State, NCS, which had all former Nigerian leaders in attendance, yesterday, ratified the appointment of the outgoing Vice Chancellor of Bayero University, Kano, BUK, Professor Attahiru Jega, as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

POLICE authorities have quizzed the embattled Deji of Akure, Oba Oluwadare Adepoju, over assault on his wife, Olori Bolanle Adepoju, just as some kingmakers and chiefs insisted that due process be followed in dealing with the matter.

Dependable police source hinted Vanguard in Akure that top police detectives from the state Police Command visited the oba in his palace to obtain his statement on the stret brawl with his wife.

The detectives are expected to submit their report to the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mogaji Nasarawa, who would then forward it to the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Ogbonna Onovo.

Also, the Akure Inner Circle and the Akure Community Development Forum, yesterday, kicked against the removal of the traditional prime minister of the town, the Lisa of Akure, High Chief Folorunso Davies, by the embattled oba.

Their leader, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, argued that the removal was arbitrarily done by the oba and unacceptable. Fasoranti asked Governor Rahaman Mimiko to ensure that due process was followed in the Deji of Akure case which he described as an embarrassment to the town and the traditional institution.

Meanwhile, some kingmakers and chiefs led by the Odopetu of Akure, High Chief Michael Falodu, have said the matter is still being investigated and that they would deal with “it traditionally and by following due process.”

They dissociated themselves from some concerned citizens of the town who called for the removal of the oba.

“We cannot support the call for the removal of the Deji because it lacks due process and did not give the Kabiyesi fair-hearing.

They argued that the state government had issued a query to the oba and he had up till today to reply and that the call was biased.

ccording to them, a committee has been inaugurated by them to look into the matter and appealed to the state governor Dr Olusegun Mimiko “to give them few days in order to complete our full investigation and get back to him on how to deal with the matter despitefully with due process and in accordance to our tradition and custom”.

They accused some of the Kingmakers of bias in dealing with the Deji matter saying that they have made up their minds in sentencing the Oba without giving him a fair hearing.

It would be recalled that the estranged wife of the Oba has dragged him before an Akure High Court

Olori Bolanle is seeking redress over the defence put up by the Deji.

She prayed the court to declare that her two sons Adegboyega and Adesimbo are biological sons of Adesina and that N100 million damages should be awarded to her for defaming her character through the claim of the monarch that the paternity of the boys was doubtful.

Also, the state government said it “is commitment to the rule of law and the principles of separation of powers as it relates to the controversy over the stool of Deji of Akureland particularly its present occupant, Oba Adesina Adepoju.

A statement by the Commissioner for Information, Ranti Akerele said the “Mimiko government has been guided all along by its firm believe in the sanctity of the laws of the land and their sacred provisions.

“When the Oba had a problem with his Chiefs a while ago, the Governor intervened not because it had any vested interest but because the provisions of the law were not adhered to.

“We had no alternative than to halt the flawed process then as it was already being misinterpreted in other communities as lack of spine and credibility to avert a breakdown of order.

“In the present circumstance, the government cannot without due recourse to laid down procedure visit any punitive action on the controversial Oba. Nevertheless, government on the receipt of a notice detailing infractions on the provisions of the law by the Oba, has set in motion the process of investigating, ascertaining and deciding on what to do to an errant Oba.