Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Tuesday 13th April 2021
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 13/04/21
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BREAKING: Oyo Governor, Makinde’s Candidate Defeats Fayose’s Candidate To Become PDP South-West Chairman
A former Deputy Governor of Oyo State Taofeek Arapaja, has been declared as the winner of the Peoples Democratic Party South-West chairman.
Arapaja, who was openly backed by Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State had 343 votes while Eddy Olafeso, the candidate of the former Ekiti State governor, Ayo Fayose, lost.
Arapaja was declared the winner by the Chairman of Congress, Samuel Ortom, who was represented by his deputy, Benson Abounu.
Olafeso has conceded defeat and promised to work with Arapaja to move the party forward.
“The storm is over; there is a new beginning for our party. We have to thank God Almighty that depsite odds. There is a new beginning for our party. The time is now. I thank everybody who supported me,” he said.
Meanwhile, Fayose had left the venue even before the result of the election was announced
Arapaja, who thanked Makinde and Fayose for their roles in the party, said, “We thank Governor Seyi Makinde and former Governor Fayose. It’s our party. We will work together and move the party forward. We want to reposition the party. I will work with my brother, Olafeso to achieve our aims.”
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E2%80%99-union-honour-late-afenifere-spokesman Obafemi Awolowo University To Lift Ban On Students’ Union In Honour Of Late Afenifere Spokesman, Odumakin
Yinka Odumakin
The Vice Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile Ife, Osun State, Professor Eyitope Ogunbodede, has described the death of Afenifere’s spokesman, Yinka Odumakin, as not only tragic but a monumental loss to the country, the human rights community and OAU.
According to Ogunbodede in a statement on Monday, the best tribute that the university can pay to Odumakin is to lift the proscription imposed on students’ union activities in the institution.
The statement read, “The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Eyitope Ogunbodede has paid glowing tribute to Yinka Odumakin on behalf of the Management, Staff and Students of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife. In particular, the University rightly recalled the fact that Yinka was the Public Relations Officer of the virile Students Union from 1986-1987.
“However, in his lifetime, Yinka Odumakin always acknowledged that the experience acquired by him as a student leader at the Obafemi Awolowo University contributed to his development and understanding of the society. Consequently, he had cause to express concern over the penchant of the Management to proscribe the virile student union of the University.
“Therefore, the best tribute that the University can pay to Yinka is to lift the proscription imposed on the student union of the Obafemi Awolowo University as soon as possible.”
The late Afenifere leader died last Saturday at the intensive care unit of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital where he was being managed for respiratory issues due to complications from COVID-19.
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E2%80%99-feeding-gulps-n76bn-annually Flawed Justice System: Awaiting Trial Inmates’ Feeding Gulps N7.6bn Annually
Kevin Odu, 32, has been in prison since February last year. He was arrested by proxy, arraigned and remanded for a crime allegedly committed by his kinsman who lived with him.
“He stole my neighbour’s laptop and generator and disappeared. I was arrested because police couldn’t find him,” Odu said.
He said the police arrested him and arraigned him for a crime he did not commit, after failing to arrest the alleged culprit.
He was granted bail, he said, but could not meet the bail conditions.
Since then, Odu has been kept in prison, awaiting trial for offences he allegedly did not commit, joining thousands of Nigerians who languish in such conditions for either minor crimes or accusations they are innocent of.
In Nigeria, more than two-thirds of the prison population are awaiting trial inmates, or ATM in prison parlance, most of whom are facing minor offences and many of them have been granted bail conditions they could not fulfil.
By last December, the number of awaiting trial inmates in 275 custodial centres nationwide was about 47,424, a figure prison officials said could have been more if not that the coronavirus pandemic forced the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCS) to start screening for the virus before admitting new inmates.
The Federal Government spends about N450 daily on each inmate, amounting to N21.3 million daily and about N7.6 billion annually on awaiting trial inmates alone.
But lawyers told the New Telegraph that there should be no reason to keep someone like Odu in prison for this long, arguing that alternative punishments should be adopted to reduce prison congestion and channel taxpayers’ money to better investments.
The National Chairman of Prisons and Hospital Ministry at the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Ariyo Popoola, who has been involved in prison ministry and reform for years, said a shocking number of awaiting trial inmates have no business being in prison.
Popoola said as more inmates are being released through interventions of pro-bono lawyers, human rights activists and religious bodies, more are being remanded.
Both those with minor and felonious cases spend years waiting for judgement that never comes as many of them have not had any court appearances for a long time.
“There are inmates on remand who have been abandoned and forgotten by policemen,” said a prison official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the press.
“These policemen are their investigating police officers (IPOs). We discovered this problem after the #EndSARS protest. Many police stations were burnt and in the process case files were destroyed. There are ATMs, who have been forgotten by their IPOs because their case files cannot be found or have been burnt.”
Lawyers and human rights activists say that the problems of awaiting trial are compounded by the failure of various stakeholders, mainly the police and judiciary, to adhere to the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) and Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL).
Under the Act and law, the courts are supposed to facilitate speedy trials and alternative sentencing, whereby accused persons with minor offences are sentenced to community service.
Good laws, poor implementation
Barrister Samuel Akpologun, a Lagos-based lawyer, said the ACJL replaced the Criminal Procedure Law, introducing revolutionary provisions and measures aimed at promoting transparency, credibility, accountability and efficiency of the criminal justice administration in Nigeria.
Akpologun said ACJL and ACJA aim at achieving speedy trial of criminal cases, commencement of trial at magistrates’ courts within 30 days and completion of trial matters within 180 days. According to him, the law provides for non?custodial alternative sentencing.
A human rights lawyer, Justus Ijeoma, who is also the Executive Director of the International Human Rights and Equity Defence Foundation (I-REF), explained that non-custodial alternative sentencing means punishment other than imprisonment.
“There are a lot of forms of alternative non-custodial sentencing, which include verbal sanctions, conditional discharges, and status penalties like denying him or her positions of trust for certain years, restitution, where an offender is mandated to restore what he had taken from a victim of the crime. There’s also suspended or deferred sentencing, there are fines as means of punishment, among others,” he said.
Ugonna Ezekwem, expert on Justice Sector Reforms, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), said non?custodial alternative sentencing includes suspended sentences, community service, curfews, and parole orders, among others.
Chain reaction of flawed system
For the court to give speedy trial, police must have to rise to the occasion by conducting a thorough investigation and arraigning the suspects on time. In most cases, the police have failed in this duty.
Raphael Ashy, 31, had spent 12 months at Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Ikeja, Lagos Command, before being taken to court. Ashy, who is presently in Kirikiri Maximum Prisons awaiting trial, has already spent six years in prison for a crime he insisted that he did not commit.
“These days, I pray every day to God to bring someone to rescue me out of this hell,” Ashy told the New Telegraph. “I can’t even begin to imagine what my aged mother has been going through all these years.”
Ashy said he was framed up by some boys residing at the Railway Station area of Ebute-Metta in Lagos. He said it was a mere street fight which was then suddenly labelled as a robbery case and he was subsequently arrested by the police.
Popoola, the RCCG pastor, who also identified as a former convict, said that only a flawed judicial system could keep someone like Ashy in prison for that long without any conviction.
“The law says that suspects should be taken to court within 24 hours, but police can keep suspects in cell for three months, sometimes six months,” Popoola said. “I’ve seen someone detained in a police cell for two years. After detaining some of these suspects for weeks, the police station will then transfer them to the command, claiming they have jurisdiction and again, they would be detained at the command’s cell.”
The problem is compounded when cases get to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and courts after police’s poor and shoddy handling, thereby leading to prison congestion.
“The police are major witnesses in cases, but when the case is called, these policemen will not be around. Sometimes, you’ll hear the IPO, who is in charge of the case, has been transferred to another state. And these policemen are the ones that are supposed to bring evidence to court. When they are not available, the cases are adjourned and the inmates continue to be on remand,” Popoola said.
While the failure of the police is obvious, Popoola pointed out that there are not enough judges and magistrates to adjudicate cases.
But the judges are also responsible for the problems of awaiting trials as they set outrageous bail conditions for minor offences, according to lawyers.
“Yes, the judiciary has got a chunk of the blame,” said Ijeoma, the human rights lawyer. “There is a need to promote human rights as envisaged by the administration of criminal justice.”
Still the judges are not the last in the chain of blame for the disproportionate number of awaiting trial inmates.
“Inmates contribute money to fuel vehicles in order to be taken to courts, but ordinarily, the government is supposed to fuel these vehicles,” Popoola said. “If the accused is not taken to court and his case is called, it will be adjourned and he continues to be ATM.”
Distance between prison and court as excuse
The Kirikiri maximum, medium and female prisons have inmates whose trials are ongoing in about 28 different courts around Lagos.
But the vehicles to take these inmates to these different locations are few. The warders are then forced to look at the greater number of inmates heading to courts in a particular location and take those, leaving others for another day.
Chiamaka’s case has stalled since 2015, in the female Kirikiri custodial centre where she has been an inmate over a case of child abuse. The court, where her case is being heard and her detention centre are far flung. This is being cited as the reason why she did not have any court appearances for three years.
“I had a lawyer, but I was never lucky to appear in court. I’m in Kirikiri Prison, while the court is at Epe,” Chiamaka said. “Every time, before my lawyer gets to Epe, the court would have been over. It has been quite frustrating. Epe is almost on the outskirts of Lagos State.”
A human rights lawyer, Pamela Okoroigwe, of Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP), who has now taken over Chiamaka’s case, said: “The punishment for Chiamaka’s offence is between three to six years, but Chiamaka has spent over six years in prison and that matter has not come up for trial. She has completed the sentence without trial. We’re tired and now thinking of going for plea bargaining, but the trial has not started and the judge refused to grant bail.”
Mallam AbdulFatai Oshun, who spent nearly seven years at Ikoyi Prison, also blamed the distance between the court and the prison for his long imprisonment. He said he was accused of killing his younger brother but later discharged and acquitted last September through the intervention of LEDAP.
During his imprisonment, Oshun said he had 49 adjournments, with one lasting for a year and two months.
“Inmates are supposed to be taken to courts Mondays to Fridays, but at Ikoyi Prison, inmates are taken to Epe court only on Friday because of lack of vehicles,” he said.
His experience led him to uncover a troubling situation, he said. “I realised something while in prison; a large number of people on ATMs are innocent people, with some not knowing their offences. Many were raided by the police.”
That was the ordeal of Henry John who was dismissed from the Army after his return from remand this year. John said he was serving at Maiduguri and decided to visit his soldier-friend in Abuja. Then, one day he went to a bar for a drink and got into a fight with four men.
He was arrested and detained at the police station as one of the injured men’s brothers insisted that John must pay N50,000 for medical bills.
“Unfortunately, my phone and ATM card got missing during the fight,” John said. “I couldn’t call anyone and didn’t have money to pay for anything. Nobody knew where I was. When I was arraigned, the magistrate asked me to pay N30,000 to the complainant or go to prison.”
He was on remand until last February when Prisoners Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA) showed interest in his case.
After his release, John said he was arrested by the military police for deserting and detained for two weeks before being dismissed.
Justice delayed, still justice denied
Last December, the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, condemned heavy dockets comprising over 4,630 Appeals and 6,207 Motions pending in the Lagos Division.
Dongban-Mensem stated that there were a total of 345 appeals, comprising 289 Commercial Appeals; 10 Human Rights Appeals; and 46 Criminal Appeals which were scheduled for hearing.
According to her, the 345 scheduled Appeals for hearing represent only eight per cent of the total number of Appeals in Lagos Division.
The Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Tony Ojukwu Esq, noted that most of the awaiting trial inmates in correctional centres are arrested for minor offences like begging, hawking, loitering, failure to pay debts, among others.
According to him, many inmates have been on awaiting trial for longer than necessary, which is in blatant violation of their human rights as guaranteed by the African Charter of Human and People’s Rights.
A human rights lawyer, Gabriel Aigbonosimuan Giwa-Amu, who is also the founder of Steven and Solomon Foundation, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) against injustice, blamed the problems of awaiting trial inmates on harsh government policies and laws as well as other factors like incompetent judiciary.
“There should be professional bailors to act as surety for persons granted bail,” Giwa-Amu suggested. “When an inmate is in custody for a period exceeding one month, he or she should be released on bail to responsible surety with or without an application for bail. Secondly, criminal cases that carry a maximum sentence of less than three years, the defendant should be allowed to go on bail on personal recognisance except his flight risk is proven to the court.”
The Lagos State Public Relations Officer, NCS, Barrister Rotimi Oladokun, explained that the reasons for many inmates being on awaiting trial are multi-dimensional, which include many stakeholders being involved in the administration of the criminal justice system.
He said: “We have been advocating that those key players in the administration of the criminal justice system should be proactive. This is because once the ingredients of crimes are there and they have proven it, I’m sure there will be quick dispensation of justice.”
Reacting to allegations that NCS Lagos State didn’t have enough vehicles to take inmates to courts, Oladokun said: “The command has been fortunate because the Controller-General has made interventions in providing more vehicles. Even though we have inadequacies, it’s better than it used to be. There’s a great improvement. We take inmates to court as and when due, based on their adjournment dates.”
He also denied the allegations that inmates fuel vehicles in order to be taken to courts. “The reforms started by the Controller-General of the NCS, Ja’afaru Ahmed, made sure that funds and resources are provided for the running of our custodial centres.
“If we really want to ensure that the number of ATMs reduces, then we have to know that it’s not all offences that should be criminalised. It’s not all offences that should go through a full adjudication process.”
The Executive Director of Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), Okechukwu Nwanguma, said the police have contributed immensely to the problems of awaiting trials.
“Research has found that the majority of persons in prisons are persons awaiting trial over minor or in many cases false allegations brought against them by the police because such persons refused or could not provide money for bail while in police custody. So, maliciously, the police will charge them to court and they are either ordered to be remanded in prison or are granted bail, unable to fulfil their bail conditions and end up spending weeks and months or even years in prison awaiting trial thereby compounding the crisis of prison congestion.”
Nwanguma suggested that persons charged and convicted of minor offences should not go to prison, adding that the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice and State Attorneys-General, should initiate steps for audit of police cells and correctional centres, including juvenile correctional facilities, to decongest them.
Justice Olushola Williams (rtd) said the issues boil down to enforcement and implementation, adding that there are many factors that contribute to delays in adjudication.
“Imagine a situation where a police officer, who investigated a case and is already testifying in court, gets transferred to a new station or state entirely,” Justice Williams said. “Getting that officer to come back to court becomes a huge challenge because most times, his colleagues cannot even give a precise detail of his whereabouts or newly assigned post. That police officer’s absence automatically stalls the trial. What I’m saying is that judges and lawyers cannot always be the cause of delayed trials.”
•This report is funded by the Civic Media Lab, under its Criminal Justice Reporting Fellowship, with support from MacArthur Foundation
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COVID-19: US Donates $3million Grants For Food Security In Nigeria
The United States Agency for International Development has launched a COVID-19 Food Security Challenge that will provide $3 million to Nigerians.
The agency said on Monday that the funds will come in financial support and technical assistance to “youth-led and mid-stage companies working in food value chains in Nigeria.”
As Nigeria is experiencing food insecurity compounded by the COVID-19 global pandemic and its effects on the food value chain in the country, the pandemic has disrupted already fragile agricultural value chains.
This is especially as it concerns smallholder farmers’ ability to produce, process, and distribute food.
The USAID noted that this menace disrupts agricultural productivity and markets, and negatively impacts livelihoods, especially among vulnerable households, women, and youth.
The USAID Mission Director, Anne Patterson said, “We are launching the COVID-19 Food Security Challenge to help innovative Nigerians alleviate food insecurity. This assistance encourages private sector-led solutions to boost food production, processing, and create market linkage along the agriculture value chain in a sustainable way across Nigeria.”
In launching the challenge, USAID seeks commercially viable youth-led and mid-stage companies already working in food production, processing, and distribution.
The agency noted that successful applicants will present ideas that demonstrably help farmers and other stakeholders in the agricultural value chain increase agricultural productivity and food security within the next six months.
The challenge will award 15 to 25 youth-led companies up to $75,000 each and award 10 to15 mid-stage companies up to $150,000 each.
“The winners will receive funding and technical assistance to rapidly expand their activities to mitigate the effect of COVID-19 on Nigeria’s food value chain and improve the resilience of vulnerable households to the negative impacts of the pandemic,” the agency added.
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Ensure Shell, Eni Face Prosecution In Nigeria, Group Tells Buhari
An anti-corruption group, Human and Environmental Development Agenda, (HEDA Resource Centre) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure the oil giants, Shell and Eni, face prosecution in Nigeria.
The group, in a letter addressed to Buhari, advised the President to ignore public statements by the oil company, Eni, that the trial the company had faced in Italy should substitute for any other possible legal action in Nigeria.
Eni and Shell have been dragged to court in Milan, Italy over alleged cases of corruption in relation to the OPL245.HEDA stated that Nigeria is not a ‘satellite country’ to Italy and since Nigeria had no say in the Milan prosecutor’s decision, it is right to try Eni and Shell with local laws.
In the letter addressed to the President, HEDA’s Chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju said the trial in Milan, Italy should not foreclose the oil giants facing charges of breach of Nigerian laws where applicable. Suraju said Eni and Shell were not in a position to determine if they should be tried in Nigeria or not.
On March 26, the group had written President Buhari urging Nigeria to ensure the oil companies face prosecution in Nigeria.
But in a recent release, Eni said it should not be prosecuted in Nigeria for alleged corruption in the OPL 245 deal because Nigeria “had specifically chosen the court in Milan, as the qualified and entitled venue” to bring the case against the company. Eni also argued that a “new” trial of Eni in Nigeria would be unjustified.
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In response, HEDA said, “Nigeria is not a satellite country of Italy. Eni’s request is arrant nonsense. Nigeria had no say in the Milan prosecutor’s decision to prosecute Eni, Shell and others. This was a choice solely for the Italian authorities. It was only once the trial had started that Nigeria was able to intervene as a civil party. As Eni knows full well, a civil party is not the same as a prosecutor.
“Mr President, this is a shameful manipulation of the facts. The case against Eni in Nigeria is already being heard, it is not a ‘new’ case. Eni, as a defendant, must know this. Why then is the company seeking to pull the wool over the eyes of the Nigerian public?”
The anti-corruption group said further that the Nigerian case should be tried under Nigerian law, which, in line with English law, has entirely different rules of evidence to those in Italy.
“It is entirely proper that Nigeria, as a sovereign country, should try offences committed in Nigeria under its own laws. Nigeria is not a colony of Italy and it would be wholly repugnant for Nigeria to outsource its justice system to another country whose laws and court procedures differ radically. Eni is entirely silent on this issue,” HEDA said
Suraju noted that the trial in Nigeria has some different defendants (including the companies, which are subsidiaries of Eni Spa not Eni Spa itself) and no principle of double-jeopardy applies under judicial cooperation agreements between Italy and Nigeria.
The group added, “If anyone has knowledge of the details of that scheme, it is likely to be (Piero) Amara. His testimony should therefore be taken seriously, even if denied by Eni. Indeed, a joint statement issued on 30 March 2021 by the Chief Prosecutor and Chief Judge of the Milan Tribunal confirms that ‘interference’ in the OPL 245 trial has been ascertained.“The law should now be upheld without fear or favour. Eni may squeal, but Nigeria should remain deaf to that squealing. If Nigeria is not to see its standing internationally damaged, the trial must be allowed to continue to its conclusion.”
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E2%80%93sim-verification-exercise-%E2%80%94pantami Criminals Feeling Heat Of National Identification Number–SIM Verification Exercise —Pantami
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami, has said criminals across the country are “feeling the heat” of the ongoing linking of National Identification Numbers with Subscriber Identification Modules.
He made the comment while reacting to the retraction of a story published by a news medium.
The story had purportedly linked the minister to the terrorist organisation, Boko Haram.“On the issue of NIN-SIM Verification to fight insecurity, there is no going back,” he said. “Our priority as government based on the provision of our constitution 1999 (as amended) Section 14(2)b is security, not just economy. For sure, no going back at all. Let the sponsors continue.
“If you are yet to verify your SIM using NIN, do it very soon, before our next action. Criminals are feeling the heat.”Hours earlier, a story had circulated that Pantami was on a US watchlist as a result of links to terrorism activities.
Also, a video had surfaced online in which Pantami appeared alongside Boko Haram leader, Mohammed Yusuf.
Referring to the video, he said, “My lectures against the doctrines and all other evil people have been available for over 15 years, including debates that endangered my life against many criminals in Nigeria.
“If you can’t understand Hausa, get an objective Hausa speaker to translate for you objectively.”
Pantami has vowed to sue the publishers of the story.
“Major publishers will meet my lawyers in the court on this defamation of character,” he said.
Personal Assistant to President Buhari on new media, Bashir Ahmad, also condemned the report which he described as “fake” and “a false and dangerous narrative.”
“Dr Pantami has never been on any US watchlist,” he said.
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E2%80%94fayose-makes-u-turn Governor Makinde Is My Leader, Father—Fayose Makes U-Turn
Former Ekiti Governor Ayo Fayose has declared Oyo Governor, Seyi Makinde as leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South-West.
Speaking at the Wocdiff Centre, Osogbo, venue of the Zonal Congress of the Peoples Democratic Party, Fayose also apologised to members of the party not in his faction for all they have all gone through over the years.
When the former governor entered the venue, he went straight to where Makinde sat and greeted him. Both of them had a warm hug.
“The Governor of Oyo State, Governor Seyi Makinde, my brother, my friend and by the grace of God, our leader. I and Seyi Makinde are one from the beginning.
“Even though (Taofeek) Arapaja has abused me so much, I will be the first person to visit him in Ibadan. Nobody has offended me and if I have offended anybody, I sincerely apologise. Seyi Makinde remains our father come what may,” he said.
Makinde and Fayose had engaged in verbal wars over the control of the PDP structures, especially the leadership of the party in the region.
The face-off was further aggravated by the re-election bid of the immediate past national vice-chairman of the South-West PDP, Chief Eddy Olafeso.
But, the camp of Makinde endorsed a former deputy governor of Oyo State, Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja, for the position.
The sharp disagreement between Makinde and Fayose forced the PDP National Secretariat to move the venue of the congress from Ibadan, the Oyo State capital to Osogbo, the capital of Osun State.
While the governor preferred Lagos State as an alternative venue, Fayose wanted Ogun State.
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Breaking Through COVID-19 Vaccine Inequality, By Kibo Ngowi
The development of several COVID-19 vaccines has brought the promise of defeating a global pandemic that’s already claimed millions of lives but inequality in access to these medicines is threatening to create a severely unequal recovery. Accountability Lab is proud to be among the signatories of the C20-L20 TRIPS statement supporting a waiver to increase supplies of vaccines throughout the world.
On 30 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) the sixth public health emergency of international concern. Now, more than a year into the global pandemic, signs of a light at the end of the tunnel have emerged as several pharmaceutical companies have started rolling out vaccines.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the stark inequalities that exist around the world in terms of access to healthcare,” says Blair Glencorse, Accountability Lab’s Executive Director. “Collectively we are still failing to rise to the challenge of COVID-19, as national priorities and political agendas are undermining shared progress.”
This is why Accountability Lab is proud to be among the signatories of the C20-L20 TRIPS statement supporting the waiver of rules outlined in the World Trade Organization (WTO) Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS) agreement to potentially increase supplies of vaccines throughout the world.
“Wealthy countries have to ensure that COVID-19 vaccines are shared equitably because COVID-19 is a global challenge and the longer developing countries do not have access to vaccines, the more likely it is that variants of COVID-19 will emerge that will make those same vaccines less effective,” added Glencorse.
The various vaccines are all intended to provide acquired immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS?CoV?2), the virus causing COVID?19. However, distribution of the life-saving vaccines that could put an end to this once in a lifetime global crisis is facing the all too familiar challenge of inequality between the rich and the poor.
A report published by ONE Campaign revealed that a handful of countries in the western world have secured more than a billion more doses of COVID-19 vaccines than they need, leaving the rest of the world scrambling for leftover supplies. In an analysis of current supply deals for COVID-19 vaccines, the ONE Campaign looked specifically at contracts with the five leading COVID-19 vaccine makers.
The five pharmaceutical companies were Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Oxford-AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Novavax. ONE found that the US, the EU, Britain, Australia, Canada and Japan have already secured more than 3 billion doses – over a billion more than the 2.06 billion needed to give their entire populations two doses. Inequality in access to COVID-19 vaccines will only prolong the impact of the pandemic across the world and further entrench existing divides between the powerful and vulnerable.
“World’s governments are dealing with an unprecedented economic and social crisis and their critical resources should not be now spent on sustaining the cumbersome legal intricacies of intellectual property disputes on COVID-19 technologies with patent holders,” reads the C20-L20 TRIPS statement.
“This means that G20 countries need to support the proposal put forward by India and South Africa at the WTO to waive intellectual property rights related to COVID-19 goods and facilitate dissemination of existing medical knowledge. Supporting the TRIPS waiver means translating into actions the announced commitments aimed at making all COVID-19 vaccines and treatments ‘global public goods’.”
The statement also highlights the need to avoid repeating the mistakes of the HIV/AIDS crisis, which resulted in 7.6 million preventable deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa alone. This was in large part due to high prices and restrictive IP rules and continues to limit the response to HIV in the countries that need it most.
The steps taken by the governments of Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe during that period were a crucial example of the kind of action needed to prevent further calamity when talks with drugmakers had failed. These nations issued compulsory licences for HIV/AIDS drugs, followed by Indonesia, Malaysia and Brazil, allowing them to waive IP rights without the licence owners’ consent.
The WTO proposal by India and South Africa – first tabled in October 2020 – has been put forward in the hope that a waiver push on COVID-19 vaccine medical patents can reap similar rewards and stop a global pandemic that has already claimed nearly 3 million lives dead in its tracks.
Support for the proposal has gained momentum with 57 countries, mostly in Africa, now counted as co-sponsors; 31 U.S. lawmakers also back the proposal, along with 115 of members of the European parliament. The WTO also gained a new director-general in February, Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who has warned that vaccine protectionism must be overcome to solve the pandemic. She said in a speech on March 9 that the TRIPS Council discussions were vitally important, but “the fact is that each additional day the vaccine shortage continues, people will pay with their lives”.
Dishearteningly, the waiver has been opposed by many lawmakers in the US, the EU, Japan, Switzerland and the UK, who argue that intellectual property barriers aren’t as big an obstacle to vaccine access as manufacturing capacity. Nonetheless, global support for the proposal is growing. Dozens of nations have expressed support, as has Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and World Health Organization head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Additionally, more than 250 research and education organizations and individuals from around the world have called on the WTO to temporarily waive IP protection for vaccines and treatments related to the pandemic, highlighting the copyright barriers preventing access to knowledge that could lead to new COVID-19 treatments.
The WTO’s TRIPS Council, established to monitor and resolve IP issues, will meet again on June 8-9 2021. The waiver will need a consensus from the organization’s 164 members to pass.
In a crisis such as this it is essential that intellectual property rights are waived for vaccines to ensure a strong, just global recovery from the pandemic. As the C20 has pointed out, we have the moral and political obligation to put an end to this pandemic as soon as possible.
Kibo Ngowi is a Marketing & Communications Coordinator for Accountability Lab, a global translocal network that makes governance work for people by supporting active citizens, responsible leaders and accountable institutions.
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The Necessity For Oduduwa Nation By Bayo Oluwasanmi
Yorubas are trapped in a vicious cycle of ignorance, poverty, disease, sickness, and death. There seems no way out. No way of escape.
Yoruba politicians – governors, senators, reps at state and federal levels – benefactors of the rotten system, join the Fulani at the helm to oppress Yorubas. Yoruba masses remain trapped in the slums. Because there seems to be no hope or no other escape, Yoruba youths turn to armed robbers, yahooyahoo boys. Yoruba girls turn to prostitutes. Both seeking an escape.
Our mothers and fathers, brothers, sisters, nieces, cousins, and uncles have become beggars and destitute. Many others turn to crime, stealing, gambling. Unemployment and poverty have forced many Yorubas into a life of crime. Our education system has become inferior with inferior teachers. Sometimes ago, a Fulani federal minister for education yanked History subject from the curriculum of primary and high schools.
Plum federal jobs are exclusively reserved for less educated, less skilled, less polished, less intelligent Fulanis. Highly educated, highly skilled, highly intelligent professional Yorubas are employed in the dirtiest, heaviest, menial, and poor-paying jobs. Yorubas fight over jobs that no one else wants. Yorubas are trapped in a vicious cycle of economic, intellectual, social, and political death. Fulanis have made Nigeria a hostile, dangerous, unlivable country. We have no peace. No progress. No pursuit of happiness. Nigeria is not safe for us.
We have been in this vicious cycle going in circles for the past 60 plus years, giving birth to children who see no hope or future; but to follow in our miserable footsteps. The Fulanis are misjudging the times. They are underestimating Yorubas. They forget we are living in new times, new day. Yorubas are a new people. The old Baba so pe is dead.
Yorubas have no more fear any more. No more fear of anything. We are not afraid to go to jail. We are not afraid to give our very life itself. And we are not afraid to defend ourselves from killers and murderers roaming our communities. We believe in a fair exchange. If this is the price of freedom, we won’t hesitate to pay the price. This is the necessity for a Yoruba Nation. Our minds are made up. No looking back!
bjoluwasanmi@gmail.com
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Bayo Oluwasanmi
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Free Speech: Twitter Shuns Nigeria, Chooses Ghana As Africa Operations Headquarters
Communications giant, Twitter, has opened its Africa Operation Headquarters in Ghana, shunning Nigeria, despite over 2.5 million users – which is about third largest in the continent after Egypt and South Africa.
The Twitter Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder, Jack Dorsey, confirmed this on Monday, saying, “Twitter is now present on the continent. Thank you Ghana, and Nana Akufo Addo.”
“The choice of Ghana as Headquarters for Twitter’s Africa operations is excellent news. The government and Ghana welcome very much this announcement and the confidence reposed in our country,” Ghana’s President, Nana Akufo-Addo also tweeted on Monday.
In a release, Twitter reinstated that its mission is to serve the public conversation, and it’s essential, for the world and for Twitter, to increase the number of people who feel comfortable participating in it.
It said, “Today, in line with our growth strategy, we’re excited to announce that we are now actively building a team in Ghana. To truly serve the public conversation, we must be more immersed in the rich and vibrant communities that drive the conversations taking place every day across the African continent.
“As a champion for democracy, Ghana is a supporter of free speech, online freedom, and the Open Internet, of which Twitter is also an advocate. Furthermore, Ghana’s recent appointment to host The Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area aligns with our overarching goal to establish a presence in the region that will support our efforts to improve and tailor our service across Africa.
“Whenever we enter new markets, we work hard to ensure that we are not just investing in the talent that we hire, but also investing in local communities and the social fabric that supports them.
“We have already laid foundations through partnerships with Amref Health Africa in Kenya, Afrochella in Ghana, Mentally Aware Nigeria Initiative (MANI) in Nigeria, and The HackLab Foundation in Ghana. As part of our long-term commitment to the region, we’ll continue to explore compelling ways we can use the positive power of Twitter to strengthen our communities through employee engagement, platform activation, and corporate giving.
“We still have much to learn but we are excited to listen, learn, and engage. Public conversation is essential to solving problems, building shared ideas, and pushing us all forward together. We can’t wait for the next step on that journey.”
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SaharaReporters, New York
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