Nigeria Media Monitor #04-24 - 21 June 1999
Kilima
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Independent Journalism Centre (Lagos, Nigeria):
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Nigeria Media Monitor - #04-24
21 June, 1999
http://www.kilima.com/mediamonitor/mm-04-24.html
* THE GUARDIAN'S STAFFER DECLARED MISSING
* SKETCH BOSS REMOVED
* TWO IN COURT OVER COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT
* GOVT. ORDERS PROBE ON BROADCAST EQUIPMENT
* EX-GOVT. OFFICIALS IN TROUBLE OVER 'ABACHA TV'
* GOVT. INAUGURATES HUMAN RIGHTS PANEL
* GOVT. PLEDGES ACCESS TO INFORMATION
* HOW TO BOOST NIGERIA'S TELECOM INDUSTRY - NCC BOSS
* EXPERTS ADVISE GOVT. ON TELECOMS
* APPOINTMENT
* QUOTABLE QUOTES
* FEATURE: NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION AT THREE
* NIGERIAN MEDIA CONTACTS
NEWSREEL
THE GUARDIAN'S STAFFER DECLARED MISSING
An employee of The Guardian Newspapers Limited, Prince Vote Isiesi, has
been declared missing.
A statement by the newspaper group said Isiesi, 37, Personal Assistant
to the Executive Consultant, Andy Akporugo, left his Agege, Lagos home
on June 4 for his office, and has since not returned home.
It said he is five feet six inches tall, hails from Ozoro in Isoko North
Local Council Area, Delta State.
SKETCH NEWSPAPERS BOSS REMOVED
The Managing Director of The Sketch Press Limited, Mr. Biodun Oduwole,
has been relieved of his post. In a press release issued by Governors of
Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Ekiti States, owners of the newspaper group,
Lekan Alabi, Senior Manager Corporate Affairs, Odu'a Investment Company
Limited, replaces Oduwole as co-ordinator of the publishing company. He
will see to the day-to-day running of the affairs of the company pending
the appointment of a new Managing Director.
The coordinator will report to the Governors of Oyo and Ogun states who
are over-seeing the affairs of the company on behalf of the
owner-states.
Also affected is Mr. Fisan Bankale whose appointment as Deputy Managing
Director was reversed. He reverts to his position as Chairman, Editorial
Board, a position he held before he was appointed Deputy Managing
Director.
TWO IN COURT OVER COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT
The legal battle between the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) and the
Musical Copyright Society of Nigeria Ltd. has taken a new dimension as
two principal officers of the latter were on 8 June arraigned at a
Federal High Court in Lagos on a charge of granting copyright owner on
musical works.
The NCC had brought a charge against the Musical Copyright Society of
Nigeria, its licensing officer, Mr. Louis Udoh, and General Manager, Mr.
Mayo Ayilara, accusing them of committing an offence punishable under
the Copyright Act, Cap 68 Laws of the Federation.
The duo pleaded not guilty to the charge and were granted bail by the
trial judge, Justice Adamu Hobon in the sum of N10,000 ($100) each with
one surety in the like sum.
GOVERNOR ORDERS PROBE ON BROADCAST EQUIPMENT
A N266 million ($2.6m) contract for the supply of transmitters to the
Benue State-owned Radio Benue, is to be investigated.
The Benue State Governor, Mr. George Akume, ordered the investigation
into the contractual agreement when he visited the radio station 11
June.
The directive which was given to the state solicitor general is as a
result of the inability of the contract, which was awarded by former
military administrator of the state, Group Captain Joshua Obademi
(rtd.), to be completed and the radio station made operational.
Of great worry to Akume is the fact that although about N170 million
($1.7m) has so far been spent, the contractor, Triax Nigeria Limited, is
still holding the state government to ransome making the station remain
off air for over three months.
During the governor's visit, the station's technical manager, George Ada
Abou, said the station had been off air because its automatic voltage
regulator (AVR) got burnt, but could not be replaced because the
transmitters had not been handed over to the station's authorities.
Barely a week to the swearing-in ceremony and handover of power to the
civilian governor, the sum of N50 million ($500,000) was released by the
immediate past military administration to revive the station.
Worried that the station is still grounded, despite the huge amount
already spent, Akume also directed the station manager to submit to his
office, the cost of reviving the station.
EX-GOVT. OFFICIALS IN TROUBLE OVER 'ABACHA TV'
A former Chairman of Moro local government in Kwara State and his
councillors may have run into trouble over council funds used for the
purchase of Abacha television sets.
The ex-council boss was alleged to have withdrawn a huge sum of money
from the local government coffers to buy the television sets which he
and the councillors later sold at give- away prices.
The 'Abacha television' sets were imported by ABG Communications Limited
at the height of the self-succession campaigns of the late Head of
State, Gen. Sani Abacha, and imposed on states, local governments and
other agencies.
The launch of the television sets in Abuja witnessed state
administrators, heads of government parastatals and pro-Abacha
campaigners buying the sets for several millions of naira.
The new Chairman of Moro council, Chief Theophillus Oyebiyi said that
while going through finance records he discovered some discrepancies in
the disbursement of funds for the purchase of the television sets.
He said while substantial council money was used to purchase the
television sets, the then chairman and his councillors allegedly
disposed them among themselves at give away prices.
It was learnt in Bode Saadu headquarters of the local government that
Chief Oyebiyi had ordered that the sets be returned by the council
officials who benefited from the television sets scandal.
Besides, the Chairman has instituted a probe into the activities of the
council's accounts personnel alleged to have engaged in financial
malpractices.
GOVT. INAUGURATES PANEL ON RIGHTS ABUSES
President Olusegun Obasanjo, 14 June inaugurated a seven-member
investigation panel which would look into cases of mysterious deaths and
other human rights abuses in Nigeria between the last democratic
dispensation and May 28 this year.
President Obasanjo charged the body, headed by retired Supreme Court
Justice Chukwudi Oputa, to help the nation scale over an unprecedented,
wicked and oppressive era and propose measures for such an era never to
repeat itself.
He said that by instituting the panel, the government wanted to
reconcile all those who felt alienated by past political events, heal
wounds inflicted on the people and restore harmony in the country.
"We want the injured and the seemingly injured to be reconciled with
their oppressors or seeming oppressors. That is the way to move
forward", he said.
President Obasanjo said the task before the panel was not only demanding
but also vital for the socio-political well-being of all Nigerians and
the nation.
According to him, all the rights of every Nigerian as enshrined in the
constitution must be protected and respected.
The president gave the panel comprising Abubakar Ali Kura Michika, Rev.
Fr. Matthew Kukah, Mrs. Elizabeth Pam, Mallam Mamman Daura, Dr. Tunji
Abayomi, Mrs. Modupe Areola and Mr. T.D. Oyelade four terms of
reference.
They are:
(i) to ascertain or establish, to whatever extent the evidence and
circumstances may permit, the causes, nature and extent of human rights
violations or abuses, and in particular, all known or suspected cases of
mysterious deaths and assassinations or attempted assassinations
committed in Nigeria since the last democratic dispensation.
(ii) to identify the person or persons, authorities, institutions or
organisations which may be held accountable for such mysterious deaths,
assassinations or attempted assassinations, or other violations or
abuses of human rights, and to determine the motives for the violations
or abuses, the victims and circumstances thereof and the effect on such
victims or the society generally.
(iii) to determine whether such abuses or violations were the product of
deliberate state policy or the policy of any of its organs or
institutions or individuals or whether they arose from the abuse by
state official or their office or whether they were the acts of any
political organisation, liberation movement or other group or
individual.
(iv) to recommend measures which may be taken whether judicial,
administrative, legislative or institutional to diligently and without
fear or favour but with love and justice which should be the foundation
of our intention in this country.
In his opening remarks, the chairman of the panel said in making its
recommendations the panel would bear in mind that justice was not a
one-way traffic.
"It is not merely and only justice for the victims of those human rights
abuses. That's definitely yes. But it ought also to be justice for the
perpetrators of those abuses. But most importantly, it will be justice
for the nation at large," he said.
Justice Oputa said: "It will be justice that will help heal the nation's
wounds, justice that will help rebuild our country".
"An eye for an eye may be retributive, will end up leaving us all blind
by sparking off a whirlwind of revenge".
He said in response to public expectations and to demonstrate the
democratic posture of the new administration, the panel should be
upgraded into a human rights abuses and reconciliation commission to
probe all human rights abuses in the immediate past.
Said he: "A human rights abuses and reconciliation commissions will
allow for genuine confessions of guilt; and for forgiveness of offenders
in the overall interest of the future of this great country".
"Let our people who have suffered all forms of human rights abuses
unburden their hearts and then forgive and forget. This will mean more
for the good of our country than all the shattering strokes of
retributing justice."
He said his panel would receive complaints and investigate cases and
reports of human rights abuses against any persons and groups and make
recommendations to the government.
The retired justice, however, said the government reserved the ultimate
decision to prosecute offenders, pay reparation to the violated and
impoverished or set free the offenders.
"We want to heal the wounds of the past. Those who died, we cannot
resurrect, but we will try to lighten the wounds and burdens of those
who were aggrieved," he said.
Meanwhile, a comprehensive memorandum may be presented by the family of
the late Chief M.K.O Abiola to the panel.
Hafsat, daughter to the late politician, said the family would meet soon
to harmonise its submission to the panel.
Hafsat, also daughter of Mrs. Kudirat Abiola, the late politician's wife
killed on June 4, 1996, in Lagos, said: "Definitely we shall present a
memorandum to the human rights investigation panel on how to unravel the
killers of my mother. Even, my father was killed. I have no doubt in my
mind that both of them were killed by the military."
She said the reported confession by some military officers who served
under the government of the late Gen. Sani Abacha was a good ground to
get more facts about the killings of her mother and others.
GOVT. ASSURES PRESS OF UNHINDERED ACCESS TO INFORMATION
The Presidential Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Doyin Okupe, has
assured the media that the Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo will hold nothing back
at feeding the press with information from Aso Rock, under the current
dispensation.
Speaking at a luncheon organised by Chevron Nigeria Limited in honour of
Chris Mammah, Special Assistant to the Vice President on Special Duties;
Onukaba Adinoyi Ojo, Special Assistant, Media and Publicity, to the Vice
President, Dr. Okupe and other journalists holding political
appointments in the State House, he ( Okupe) pledged that they would
execute their assignments creditably. "We shall do all we have to do to
ensure that our jobs are done well to the effect that you gentlemen will
be satisfied. I can assure you that all that is necessary to make it all
work will be done."
Stressing the sincerity of the new civilian regime's willingness to
court the media and affirm an uninterrupted interaction between
government and the Press, Okupe said, "our business will be to ensure
that information flow is unimpeded." Appreciating the level of awareness
and knowledge of the Nigerian press about the country, her governments -
past and present - and the citizenry, the presidential adviser reminded
them of the attitude of past governments to the dissemination of
information, to the media. "Most Nigerian leaders consider the passing
of information a privilege. And that is very unfortunate really. But we
are going to give it a lot of trial."
HOW TO BOOST NIGERIA'S TELECOM INDUSTRY - NCC BOSS
To enhance the fortunes of the nation's telecommunication sector, the
Managing Director of Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Chief
Ogbonna Iromantu has called for the enthronement of consistent policy
regime, buoyed by transparency in implementation, rule of law and
political stability.
Iromantu stressed the need for adherence to rules of operations by the
sector's players. "If we would follow vigorously the procedures that
have been laid down for operations, ensure that these are strictly
observed by professionals, then the industry is in for a good time.
Where the rule of law prevails over arbitrariness, it will certainly be
good for all our aspirations.
Iromantu argued that beyond the transparency, rule of law and policy
consistency, there should be similar gesture extended to the workforce
and leadership of these organisations "to the extent that it will
engender even more confidence in the NCC, because people, particularly
investors, require this confidence, stability and consistency to invest
in an environment."
Believing that the democratic setting will uphold all these, Iromantu
said "hopes are very high now by all investors, both local and foreign,"
but emphasised that "we need a well articulated policy, including of
course, a policy on the Internet development. We know we have a law that
says there is deregulation and so on, but the law must operate within
the ambiance of a government policy direction. This policy will also
spell out the clear objectives and targets that we need to achieve , the
powers of specific agencies within the policy framework among others."
To him, such step by the government "will be better guided and motivated
in respect of telecommunications and information technology
development."
EXPERTS ADVISE GOVERNMENT ON TELECOMS
African Telecom Think Tank, a group of Nigerians involved in
telecommunications administration globally, had advised President
Olusegun Obasanjo on ways to improve the poor state of
telecommunications infrastructure and inadequate telephone lines.
The group, in a letter by Inmarsat Regional Director for Africa, Mr.
Shola Taylor, on behalf of the steering committee comprising Mr. Kayode
Khalidson, a lawyer at the London-based Simmons and Simmons Law company,
and Mr. Eyo Ekpo of the Law Union, Lagos, stated that the ultimate
objective of its letter is to:
*ensure that there is a rapid development of the communications
infrastructure in Nigeria that will result in the installation of one
million lines yearly within the next five years;
*encourage direct foreign investment in Nigeria in both the fixed and
cellular markets by foreign operators who should be encouraged to team
up with local investors;
*promote the provision of efficient, effective and affordable
communications services for all sectors of society, including the rural
communities;
*protect the integrity and viability of public telecom services; and
*develop a regulatory framework to support the achievement of the
policy's objectives.
According to the group, the high cost of telephone acquisition in
Nigeria needs improvement. Nigeria ranks very low on the telecoms ladder
globally with just 700,000 lines in use to its over 100 million people.
With an average cost of acquisition put at between N50,000 ($500) and
N150,000 ($1,500) it is the highest by any African country. Such
services go for N25,000 ($250) in Ghana and N5,000 ($50) in South
Africa.
They blame lack of consistent government policies and issuance of too
many licences for this. This has resulted in interconnection problems
for many operators.
According to the group, "Nigeria does not need to look too far away to
learn some lessons. Ghana with a smaller population and economy adopted
a duopoly in 1996. Since then, the number of lines has increased from
70,000 to 150,000. It earned $38 million from selling the 30 per cent
stake in Ghana Telecoms and $10 million was paid by Wrestle for the
Second carrier licence."
"In South Africa, the sale of 30 per cent stake in Telkem S.A. to a
foreign consortium in 1997 raised $1.2 billion for the government. The
government ploughed $1 billion back into the newly privatised company in
recognition of the significant impact that telecoms play in the
economy."
The group proposed, among others, that there should be a clear and
precise government policy "to send a strong signal to the global
communications market specifying this policy for the development of the
communications sector in Nigeria" to erase the current impression that
the Nigeria telecom sector is not a viable area to invest in.
The experts also asked the government to partially privatise NITEL by
selling between 25 and 40 per cent stakes in the next one year.
They suggested the appointment of a second network operator through
international tender to compete with NITEL.
In addition, they advised the government to stop further issuance of
licences to would-be private network links operators to enable the
existing ones actualize their licences.
The group further suggested that NITEL should be encouraged to take its
service to the rural areas.
APPOINTMENT
Mr. Paddy Dare has been appointed as the Chief Press Secretary to the
government of Ondo State.
QUOTABLE QUOTES
"If you have a political class that knows what the interests of the
people and the political system ought to be, they ought to get together
and call a conference of their own, outside this their parliamentary
system, which is for a selected few who have been put there and declare
that they don't have a constitution. And declare that one Abubakar or
Ali Baba and 29 thieves are not capable, simply because they hold guns,
of decreeing a constitution for 100 million people. And therefore, the
political class should reject the constitution en-masse. That is their
first task."
-General Alani Akinrinade (retired), former chief of defence staff in an
interview with The News magazine.
"Guns and bayonets, they never had. Deploying the power of speech and
pen, they were able to combat blood-thirsty dictatorships to a
standstill, thrusting the Nigerian situation permanently on the agenda
of global politics."
-Louis Odion, paying tribute to Nigerians who paid the supreme price and
other deprivations in the struggle for democracy.
"Military regimes in the West African sub-region are guilty as proven
through their callous disregard for decent standards of behaviour,
through their visceral contempt for human rights, through their callous
disregard for the welfare of their people and through the frequent
disruption of representative, constitutional forms of government"
-African Topics magazine in its Editorial recently.
FEATURE
NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION (NHRC) AT THREE:
THE JOURNEY SO FAR by Ken Onye.
The principles behind the historic 1948 Universal Declaration of Human
Rights and subsequent Conventions and Protocols on human rights have
continued to provide a common standard of achievement for all peoples
and nations of the world. They offer challenges to members of the UN
family to further the course of the ideals represented by the UN Charter
through their work. The Declaration also gave hope and aspirations that
every human being has the fundamental inherent value and cherishes
dignity and freedoms.
For us in this part of the world, human rights is one subject that
enjoys tremendous attention. Not for scholarly or academic knowledge of
it. But rather, the experience of the last few years which sought to
give the picture that the abuse or violation of rights is a State
Policy. The last administration under late General Sani Abacha typified
this historic anomie. Ironically, it is the same administration that
found it worthy to set up the nations foremost Human Rights Commission.
It is pertinent to mention that even though the Abacha administration
set up the National Human Rights Commission, it was in fulfilment of an
international obligation which Nigeria owed both the UN and OAU. The UN
requires member States to establish national and regional institutions
that seek to promote and protect human rights. In fact Article 26 of the
OAU Charter on Human and People's Rights ratified in Nairobi in 1981
makes it mandatory for States signatory to the Charter to establish own
national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights.
It was in this spirit that in 1995 the Government promulgated Decree 22
establishing the National Human rights Commission. The Commission was
charged among other responsibilities with the task of monitoring and
investigating alleged cases of human rights violation in Nigeria and
make appropriate recommendation to the Government. The Commission is
also empowered to deal with all matters related to the promotion and
protection of human rights as provided by the constitution of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria, the African Charter of Human and Peoples
Rights,' the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other
International instruments to which Nigeria is a signatory.
Three years after the inauguration of the Commission, how far has it
gone in carrying out its assigned mandate? Before doing this perhaps it
is imperative to recast our minds to the prevailing environment in which
the Commission was born.
The National Human Rights came amidst skepticism and cynicism that the
Commission was a mere propaganda tool in the hands of a junta seeking
international relevance. There is every course to believe so,
considering the posture of the government of the day. However, over
time, the Commission has proved, to a large extent, that it is worth its
existence. The members of the Commission's governing body led by Justice
Paul K. Nwokedi, a retired Supreme Court Judge took their job serious.
In the first one year in spite of handicap, toured almost all the
Nigerian Prisons and facilitated the release of so many prisoners who
ought not be there in the first place or who had exceeded their terms
awaiting trial. In Lagos and Kano alone the Commission ensured the
release of over 200 prisoners.
The report of the Prison visits made it imperative for the inauguration
of the Presidential Prison Decongesting and Reform Committee that has
made tremendous and positive impact on our Prison system. Today, our
Prisons are breathing some air of freshness. The Government has approved
the upward review of Prisoners' feeding allowance as well as change of
their uniforms. Many prisoners too (about 2,000), at the last count,
have been released under the reform exercise.
Similarly, the Commission carried series of enlightenment programmes
across the country. Seminar and workshops targeted at specific
institutions like the Police, Immigration, Prisons, NGOs, Gender Group
and Politicians were undertaken as part of its awareness programmes.
Most of these programmes were collaboratively done with credible NGOs
such as Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), Constitutional Rights
Projects (CRP) and Human Rights Laws Service (HURILAWS). At the
international level, the Commission collaborated with USIS, British
Council, Danish Embassy, Swedish Embassy among others.
It is on record that in the heat of the cries for human rights violation
in Nigeria by the International Community, the reports relied on these
violations were made available by the Commission and had received
commendation to the effect from the UN Human Rights Commission.
The visit by the UN Special Rapporteur in Human rights Abuse in Nigeria,
Mr. Soli Sorabjee early this year gave the Commission the added credit
to its work. The Commission may not have performed its best. Given the
environment, it was born, the limited resources and the low level of
awareness on issue of human rights.
Uptill now, out of the six proposed Zonal Offices by the Commission to
bring Human Rights issues closer to the people, only Lagos and Kano are
ready for operation. Apart from the few earlier recruited staff, the
Commission is yet to get more hands to expand its activities. The issue
of funding cannot remain unmentioned as the Commission always goes cap
in hand begging for funds to carry out its programmes.
With a new democratic regime in place, it is expected that the
Commission will be strengthened to carry its work more effectively. The
first thing to be done is for the Commission to be given place in the
new Constitution to perform its statutory role as provided by law.
Similarly, efforts should be made to grant it full autonomy by way of
adequate funding from the national budget. The Commission should be
accessible to every Nigerian irrespective of class or status. It is
hoped that in the next few years the Commission's presence would have
been felt in all the States of the Federation with the opening up of new
offices to compliment the existing ones.
As the watch dog of the rights of man, the Human Rights Commission like
the Judiciary is the last hope of the common man and should be given a
pride of place in the present dispensation.
At the National Human Right Commission of Justice Nwoked has proved one
thing that an institution can perform if it so wishes even in the face
of adversity.
Source: The Guardian, June 15, 1999.
NIGERIAN MEDIA CONTACTS
Media organizations in Nigeria can be contacted at the following
addresses. We'll update the list as more information become available.
(1) Vanguard newspaper - (a) vang...@linkserve.com.ng
(2) The News/TEMPO/PMNews - (a) AOna...@aol.com
(b) baba...@alpha.linkserve.com
(3) TELL magazine - (a) te...@cyberspace.net.ng
(b) edi...@tell.org
(4) (a). The PUNCH - edit...@punch.com.ng
(b) Saturday PUNCH - satp...@punch.com.ng
(c) Sunday PUNCH - sunp...@punch.com.ng.
5. The Diet - Diet...@micro.com.ng
6. Post Express - ro...@aol.com
7. The Guardian - (a) let...@ngrguardiannews.com
8. ThisDay - Thi...@nigol.net.ng
9. TODAY newspaper - toda...@compuserve.com
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