Soyinka, Ajumogobia, Ekweremadu, Debate “Will Nigeria be Better Served by a Parliamentary System Government?”

St. John’s Forum, a group of public spirited Nigerians with deep interest in promoting the common good, good governance, national development, peace and stability, has announced the inaugural edition of its Public Service Debates.

The maiden debate will hold on Wednesday March 26 2014 at 11.00am at the Agip Hall, Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos, with the motion: “Will Nigeria be better served by a parliamentary system of government?”

The debate is part of a Public Service Debate series designed to bring to the fore, critical issues that affects the Nigerian society. The Forum’s aim is to promote and enhance public awareness, dialogue, and encourage participatory thought on matters of social and national importance.

The speaking panel at this maiden edition comprises some of Nigeria’s noblest minds, including Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka; former External Affairs Minister, Mr Odein Ajumogobia (SAN); Senate Deputy President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu; renowned Oxford University scholar, Dr. Abdu Raufu Mustapha. The former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku will moderate the debate.

The St. John’s Forum is an apolitical platform committed to advancing dialogues that promote the common good in all aspects of Nigerian life. Its activities cuts across all segments of the community – industry, commerce, the intelligentsia, the press, politicians, decision makers, and indeed ordinary Nigerians. The Forum believes that the coming together of such a diverse body of people with widely differing backgrounds and aspirations to debate a singular issue, must ultimately promote good.

The debate is open to the general public, and all are welcome to engage the key speakers.

Nigeria is a Corrupt Country...US Country Reports

US Secretary of State John Kerry

United States has classified Nigeria as a corrupt country with a poor governance record. US Secretary of State, John Kerry made the corruption allegations when he presented the “Country Reports on Human Rights Practices” which he presented at the Press Briefing Room of the State Department in Washington.

Kerry warned that the US was not acting out of arrogance but to plug the pitfalls arising from its experiment at home and help the human race against making avoidable mistakes.

“Even as we come together today to issue a report on other nations, we hold ourselves to a high standard and we expect accountability here at home too. And we know that we’re not perfect. We don’t speak with any arrogance whatsoever, but with a concern for the human condition,” the Secretary of State said.

This year’s report, he stressed, “is especially timely coming on the heels of one of the most momentous years in the struggle for greater rights and freedoms in modern history.”

The report took a huge swipe at the Nigerian anti-corruption agencies – the EFCC, ICPC and the Police. The report which ranked the EFCC’s commitment to the anti-corruption war higher than that of the ICPC said Ibrahim Lamorde’s efforts at prosecuting offenders were frustrated along the way.

“The anti-corruption efforts of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) and EFCC remained largely ineffectual. The ICPC holds broad authorities to prosecute all forms of corruption, whereas the EFCC is tasked with handling only financial crimes. Despite this wider mandate, the ICPC had achieved only 68 convictions since its inauguration in 2000.

Lamorde, according to the report, seemed to have been constrained “by the fact he is being teleguided by those that put him in office, on who to arrest and prosecute while his efforts at trying 12 prominent public officials met a brick wall with several frustrating setbacks during the year.”

The report continued: “Despite the arrest of several high-ranking officials by the EFCC, including Dimeji Bankole and Hassan Lawal, who have been left off the hook, allegations continued that agency investigations targeted individuals who had fallen out of favour with the government, while those who were in favour continued their activities with impunity.”

In conclusion, Kerry summarised once more the reason for his country report exercise: “This is about accountability. It’s about ending impunity. And it’s about a fight that has gone on for centuries, as long as human beings have been able to think and write and speak and act on their own.

“And so, the United States of America will continue to speak out, without a hint of arrogance or apology, on behalf of people who stand up for their universal rights. And we will stand up in many cases for those who are deprived of the opportunity to be able to stand up for themselves,” the report said.