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Judicial staff to blame for corruption in Judiciary – Kwara NBA Chairman Gambari

Published

1 year ago

January 8, 2023

The chairman of the Ilorin branch of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Barrister Kamaldeen Gambari, asserted that the prevalence of corruption among the staff of the judiciary has been responsible for the inadequacies of the judicial system in the country.
Gambari made this remark during an interaction with journalists in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital. He alleged that both legal practitioners and litigants are at the mercy of some staff of the judiciary who exploit both parties.
Gambari, however, noted that there are some who perform their duties diligently among the judiciary staff without corrupt tendencies and assured that the NBA is doing its best to resist them.
In his words: “The exploitation is so endemic that legal practitioners and the litigants can hardly do anything free without some segment of these staff making some unholy demands either from the legal practitioners or the litigants.
“Every time they do this, as a Bar, we try to resist them, yet we have not achieved the intended result. We shall put this corruption tendency before the new acting Chief Judge, Justice Abiodun Ayodele Adebara when he resumes office properly.”
Reacting to the alleged partisanship of some judges in politics, the NBA chairman argued that any judge who knows his onions, bearing in mind the codes of his office, will be cautious of his action as the ethics of the profession negates such action.
He described such actions as a disservice to the judiciary and capable of bringing their offices to disrepute.
Gambari said: “The ethics of their office prohibits that; if any one of them is found involved in that, it will be unfortunate, it is a great disservice to the judiciary and they are doing that at their own peril because that will bring the office they occupy to disrepute.
The NBA chairman added: “If truly there is corruption in the judiciary, I can vouch that we have no corrupt judge in Kwara State judiciary, all of our judges are full of integrity regardless of who the litigants are, they don’t bow to any pressure and they discharge their duties with utmost and purest of intentions based on the facts presented before them.”
Gambari further stressed the need for the government to exploit the experience of retired judges by incorporating them into other roles rather than letting their knowledge rot away.
He said this in reference to the recently retired chief judge of Kwara State, Justice Suleiman Durosinlorun Kawu, whom he described as highly knowledgeable, full of wisdom, mentally sound and full of fear of God in the discharge of his judicial duties.
“We will continue to push to get them engaged and useful for the state, starting from the Kwara State Government up to the Federal Government, especially through the National Judicial Council, NJC,” he added.
According to him: “At the Supreme Court, we’re having a number of judges fewer than we needed and there haven’t been any appointments and people are retiring every day, the versatile ones amongst these people can be made use of to fill these voids so that their knowledge shouldn’t be wasted.”
The state NBA Chairman also dismissed as spurious the claim of conflicts between the two units that make up the justice system, namely the Bar and the Bench, saying: “There should not be any conflict between the Bar and Bench as the two are like Siamese twins, we are conjoined from the start.”
He noted that “no one can be a member of the bench without being a lawyer first.”

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Nigerian Army begins recruitment, warns against fraudsters

Published

1 hour ago

May 3, 2024

Walewale

The Nigerian Army has announced the commencement of recruitment applications for Non-Tradesmen and Women.

This is contained in a post on the official X handle of the Nigerian Army on Friday, stating that the application which is free, starts from 3rd May – 7th June.

Non-tradesmen and women are those who wish to join the Nigerian Army but have only the certificate from their Senior School Certificate Examination.

The post reads: “This is to inform the general public & all interested applicants that online application for 87 Regular Recruits Intake for Non-Tradesmen & Women has commenced.

“Application starts from 3rd May – 7th June 2024.

“Application Is Free at http://recruitment.army.mil.ng. Shortlisted candidates will participate in the State Recruitment Screening Exercise scheduled from 20th June – 3rd July 2024.

“Recruitment into the Nigerian Army Is FREE, Beware of Fraudsters.”

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Turkey halts trade relationship with Israel

Published

1 hour ago

May 3, 2024

Walewale

Turkey has announced the suspension of all trade with Israel, saying it is because of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza.

The Turkish trade ministry stated that the suspension would remain in effect until Israel permitted an “uninterrupted and sufficient flow” of aid into Gaza.

The Turkish government declared that the trade suspension would apply to all products.

This new development comes amid escalating tensions over Israel’s offensive in the region.

Last year, trade between Turkey and Israel amounted to nearly $7 billion.

Responding to Turkey’s announcement, Israel’s foreign minister accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of acting dictatorially and disregarding the interests of Turkish citizens and businesses.

Israel said it would seek alternatives for trade, focusing on local production and imports from other countries.

Tensions between Turkey and Israel have been strained for years, with diplomatic relations experiencing ups and downs.

Turkey severed ties with Israel in 2010 after clashes between Israeli commandos and pro-Palestinian Turkish activists aboard a ship attempting to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza resulted in casualties.

Although diplomatic relations were restored in 2016, they soured again in 2018 when both countries expelled each other’s top diplomats over Israel’s handling of protests on the Gaza-Israel border.

However, the recent escalation in tensions between Turkey and Israel follows the deadly Hamas attack on Israel in October last year.

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Press Freedom Day: NGE salutes journalists working under harsh economic conditions

Published

1 hour ago

May 3, 2024

Walewale

The professional body of editors and media executives in Nigeria, gave this commendation in a statement signed on Friday by its President, Mr Eze Anaba and the General Secretary, Dr Iyobosa Uwugiaren, to commemorate the 2024 World Press Freedom Day.

‘’We celebrate the courageousness and commitment of journalists across the country, who continue to risk everything to bring us the truth and reliable/credible information.

“We also acknowledge the growing threats to press freedom – from violence and censorship to disinformation and economic pressures.

‘’We pay tribute to the journalists who have lost their lives or faced persecution, and we stand in solidarity with those under threat or attack and those who continue to work under very harsh economic conditions,” the NGE said.

The forum reaffirmed that media freedom, freedom of expression and access to public information are crucial to democracy and must be at the heart of Nigerian government’s values and actions.

The NGE said it recognised the crucial role played by journalists, media workers and free/ independent media in protecting the country’s democracy and advised them not to give up, in spite of the prevailing economic challenges.

The guild also requested the National Assembly to initiate and adopt a law to protect journalists, who speak out on matters of public interest, especially against abusive and strategic lawsuits, which are regularly initiated to silence them.

According to the NGE, the 2024 World Press Freedom Day is dedicated to emphasising the importance of good journalism amidst the current global environmental crisis.

‘’In line with the theme of this year’s celebration, we believe that journalism and freedom of expression are crucial in the context of the current global environmental crisis.

‘’Journalism and freedom of expression help in raising public awareness about environmental issues; holding power accountable; amplifying marginalised voices; promoting transparency and accountability.

“It also help in fostering public debate/engagement, and providing a platform for solutions,” the body said

The NGE added that 2024 World Press Freedom Day provided an opportunity for every stakeholder in the media community to continue to drum it to the hearing of both state and non-state actors – about the importance of press freedom and the challenges being faced by journalists.

The editors said that such challenges included censorship, harassment, imprisonment and violence.

The guild said that there was urgent need by the government to take deliberate and sustained action to promote press freedom and good journalism in the country.

The NGE added: ‘’The federal government will fundamentally be promoting the enabling environment for media to operate responsibly if it adopts a law to protect persons who speak out on matters of public interest against abusive lawsuits meant to silence them.

‘’The federal government should take a clue from the European Union and other democracies around the world, who have adopted similar laws to protect journalists and media houses against Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP suit).

‘’More so, there are still many obnoxious and anti-media laws in our statutory books that are targeted at journalists and media houses. The National Assembly (NASS) must take immediate step to repeal them.’’

The guild also urged government at all levels, international organisations and civil society organisation to protect and promote press freedom;.

The editors urged them to ensure safety and security for journalists/media houses; and ensure that all restrictive laws and policies targeted at the media are repealed.

The guild said that it would continue to advocate for press freedom, freedom of expression and access to information, adding that they are crucial to good governance, democratic societies and fundamental human rights

The World Press Freedom Day, established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993, is observed annually on May 3.

It is set aside to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom, assess the state of press freedom throughout the world, defend the media from attacks on their independence, and pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

The day also acts as a reminder to governments of the need to respect and uphold the right to freedom of expression as enshrined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

It highlights the importance of a free, independent, and pluralistic media in fostering transparency, accountability and democracy.