The optimism of Abuja indigenes to have their villages transformed and integrated into the Abuja Master Plan under an urban renewal programme is fast turning into a nightmare. Disagreements over compensation and resettlement of the indigenes by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) have resulted in a number of protests and court cases.

Reprieve may be on the way for Abuja women who have been at the receiving end of alleged harassment by men of the Nigeria Police and Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), as a non-governmental organisation, Lawyers Alert Association, has dragged the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, the Inspector General of Police and the Attorney General of the Federation, among others, to court to enforce the fundamental human rights of women in the FCT.

FOR anybody who is a member of Rotary Club, a major national and international service club, with international world headquarters in Evanston, Illinois, USA, the pinnacle is becoming a member of the Arch C Klumph Society.

Last week, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, arraigned some directors of some firms allegedly involved in the allegedly wrong collection of claims. This week’s report will show that whereas an investigation into such a monumental fraud was indeed desirable, the Federal Government of Nigeria may have embarked on a fool’s errand in its approach by going through the needless process of instituting committees to, in the words of the redoubtable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, SAN, fine-tune what the EFCC is doing. “It is complementary to the EFCC report as well as that of the House of Representatives”. As the trial continues, the magnifying spectre of scandals within a scandal is bound to grow.

The date was June 20, 2012. The mission was this year’s congress of International Press Institute, IPI, holding in the Caribbean dual-island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. Although this was neither my first visit to the Caribbean nor South America, the mere thought of the trip still set my adrenaline surging. It quickened my pulse. It raised my expectations to fever pitch.

THE position of General Secretary of Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, is one of the most prestigious offices in the association. In actual fact, it is the most important, second to the office of the President of the association.

It represents a tragic parody. The killing, in broad day light, of a senator and the Majority Leader of the Plateau State House of Assembly, only serves to make blind folly of the assurances given by Information Minister, Labaran Maku, that parents who were worried about the posting of their wards for the mandatory national service were creating unnecessary panic. For a nation where presidential condolences have become two-a-penny, the latest round of attacks would swell the cabinet wherein condolence letters are filed – one to the deceased senator’s family; another to the Majority Leader’s family; a special one to the government and people of Plateau State; and for the villagers, they do not really matter so you needn’t “give a damn”.

Worried by the menace of street trading and its associated security challenge, the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, has warned street traders in and around Abuja metropolis to stay off the roads.

38. Placements of aviation risks abroad must be preceded by the express approval of the Commissioner of Insurance as required by the 2003 Insurance Act.

The NCAA should conduct an annual verification of insurance cover of all airlines from the underwriters to ensure authenticity. In addition, the NCAA should mandate all airlines to submit complete copies of the policy documents for all insurance contracts rather than the cover notes given for each aircraft. The Task Force recommends an annual audit of the insurance covers of all airlines and agencies to ensure that they constantly meet both the local and international requirements.

The alleged 620,000 dollars bribery involving the former chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Subsidy,Honorable Lawan Farouk,and the chairman of Zenon Oil,Mr Femi Otedola,has,of late,dominated national discourse.