TheNewsGuru

Tag: Compensation

  • Xenophobia: South Africa turns down Nigeria’s request for compensation

    South Africa has snubbed Nigeria’s quest for compensation for its citizens who incurred losses from xenophobic attacks.

    Nigeria is pressing for full compensation for victims of the unprovoked attacks and wanton killings.

    The Federal Government’s envoy is in Pretoria in a diplomatic move to end the impasse created by the situation.

    But South Africa’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Naledi Pandor, said on Thursday that payment of compensation was not in the country’s law.

    Following persistent attacks over the years, many Nigerians – about 200 – have been killed. Many more have lost properties and goods worth millions of dollars, according to the President of Nigerian Union in South Africa Adeola Olubajo.

    As a result of this, the Federal Government has been pressing for compensation.

    Minister of Foreign Affairs Geoffrey Onyeama reiterated the demand for compensation on Thursday in an interview with reporters at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

    He said: Our citizens there have suffered a lot. It is the responsibility of the government to ensure that they are compensated and we will take measures necessary and do whatever we have to do to ensure that they are compensated.”

    On Tuesday, Onyeama said: “Full compensation has to be paid because as we have discovered from previous experience, a lot of these Nigerians loss their property and it is a long drawn out process and very often are not compensated for it. But on this occasion, the Nigerian government is going to fight for full compensation and hold the government of South Africa to count.”

    The South African foreign minister also alleged that Nigerians are involved in drug and human trafficking.

    Pandor spoke while responding to criticisms that South Africa’s security agencies were not doing enough to protect foreigners in the wave of xenophobia rocking the country.

    In an interview with eNCA, a South African outfit, Pandor said South Africans believe many Nigerians are “harming our young people.”

    Asked if the country’s security agencies had helped in protecting foreigners including Nigerians, she responded: “I would appreciate them in helping us as well to address the belief our people have and the reality that there are many persons from Nigeria dealing in drugs in our country.

    “I believe that Nigerian nationals are involved in human trafficking and other abusive practices.

    “These kind of assistance of ensuring that such persons do not come to our country will be of great assistance to our nation.”

    The xenophobic attacks forced Nigeria to pull out of the ongoing World Economic Forum in South Africa.

    In its initial response to the fresh attacks, the federal government summoned Bobby Monroe, South Africa’s high commissioner to Nigeria.

    The Nigerian government is now considering the option of suing the South Africa government to force her to pay compensation, as shown by the move being made by the federal ministry of justice.

    South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa who addressed the nation yesterday on his attacks, did not mention the concern of Nigerians on the killing of her nationals.

    He merely said at least 10 persons were killed, two of them foreigners, in a wave of riots and attacks.

    In the televised address in Johannesburg, he said: “Over the past few days, our country has been deeply traumatised and troubled by acts of violence and criminality directed against foreign nationals and our own citizens,” Ramaphosa said.

    “People have lost their lives, families have been traumatised … We know that at least 10 people have been killed in the violence. Two of whom were foreign nationals.”

    South African police arrested more than 80 people and confirmed five deaths as riots in Johannesburg and the capital Pretoria intensified on Tuesday, spreading to surrounding townships with roving groups attacking mainly foreign-owned shops.

    “We can’t rule out pure criminality of criminals using a sensitive situation where there are real grievances on issues of unemployment and foreign nationals,” police minister Bheki Cele said.

  • Why Lagos, Oyo governments must compensate victims of building collapse – SERAP

    Why Lagos, Oyo governments must compensate victims of building collapse – SERAP

    The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged “the governments of Lagos and Oyo states to “take immediate action to address the numerous ongoing human rights impacts of the deadly and catastrophic building collapse in their respective states, including by taking meaningful steps to avoid further damage to the human rights of the people affected.”

    The organisation said: “The Lagos State governor, Akinwumi Ambode and Oyo State governor, Abiola Ajimobi should ensure as a matter of priority, access of victims and their families to effective remedies in a transparent manner, specifically, access to justice, adequate compensation, reparation, and guarantees that incidents like these can never happen again.”

    According to the organisation: “These tragedies point to weak enforcement of building regulations and oversight by the two states and urgent need for effective action and reforms. SERAP is concerned that the responses so far by the governments of Lagos and Oyo states have been insufficient to deal with the massive extent of the human costs of the incidents.”

    In a statement Sunday, SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare said: “These incidents come as a tragic reminder of the mismanagement, weakness in the regulatory and monitoring regime. The governments should have done more to prevent them from happening. The governors should act decisively on their commitments to do everything in their powers to prevent more such tragedies, and to bring to justice those responsible, to serve as a deterrent and end the negligence at which many are carrying out their duties.”

    The statement read in part: “Schools should be a sanctuary – a place where children can learn, develop and play with their classmates, and prepare for their future lives in society. Collapse of school building due to weak enforcement regulations or corruption is an implicit attack on the right of Nigerian children to education, life, and human dignity. Such situation creates an environment of fear and severely diminishes the quality of children’s education.”

    “The tragedies demand accountability and both Lagos and Oyo states should accept responsibility for these incidents; promptly, thoroughly and impartially investigate exactly how they happened, and publicly apologise to the victims, their families and Nigerians. Building developers and contractors can only be properly held to account if the two states do the right thing for the harm they have caused.”

    “SERAP is seriously concerned about the frequency of building collapse in the country. Many buildings within Lagos and Oyo states reportedly remain in breach of minimum standards. Both governments should urgently take effective monitoring and enforcement action and provide conclusive evidence that buildings within their states are safe, strong, stable and meet applicable legal and building standards.”

    “In order to prevent other tragedies, authorities at both federal and state levels should monitor and effectively enforce compliance by public and private actors with their regulatory and environmental standards. President Muhammadu Buhari and all the 36 state governors should publicly commit that they will do everything possible to prevent new tragedies like those of Lagos Island and Bode, Ibadan.”

    “We condemn the collapse of a three-storey building in Ita Faji area of Lagos Island with over 20 people including school children reportedly dead and 45 injured, and the collapse of a two-storey building in Ibadan, Oyo State, with some people reportedly injured.”

    “We stand in solidarity with those affected and ready to help by providing free legal advice, assistance and support in order to ensure that justice is not only done but also seen to be done in these cases.”

  • Constructions: Lagos commences N6bn compensation payment to owners of bulldozed properties

    The Lagos State government has commenced the payment of compensation to owners of properties that gave way for Right of Way (RoW) for the various construction works across the state.

    Over six billion Naira has been earmarked for the payment, which is being handled by the state’s Land Bureau at Alausa in Ikeja, the state capital.

    The exercise, which started last Friday at the Land Bureau office, will run till May 11 at Alausa before it returns to various zones in the state for continuation.

    When our correspondent visited the venue of the exercise, over 100,000 recipients were seen sitting peacefully as they awaited their turns for the verification.

    For instance, Mr. Oluwakemi Olanrewaju, a beneficiary, said the process had been transparent and “everything has been alright”.

    Explaining the process, Olanrewaju said upon the verification of the required documents, an official writes the amount to be paid on a piece of paper for the recipient secretly and then the recipient is told to expect credit alert within a few days.

    According to him, the money is paid directly into the individual account.

    He said: “I am very happy with the process. I thank Governor Akinwunmi Ambode for what he has done for us. The process is very easy; there is no inconvenience for anybody here. The officials have taken care of us very well and even provided us with refreshment. This is the first of its kind that I am seeing from any government. You don’t need to have any connection before they attend to you and nobody has asked us for any form of gratification.”

    Olanrewaju, whose house on Ishawo Road in Ikorodu Local Government Area was affected by the construction, said although it cost more than he was given as compensation, yet he was satisfied with the gesture because of the sincerity of the administration.

    He added: “It is better than getting nothing; at least, this government has not left us out in the cold or rendered us homeless and hopeless. So, I am happy.”

    The Special Adviser to the Governor on Urban Development, Mrs. Yetunde Onabule, said over N5 billion will be disbursed.

    The governor’s aide noted that once the requirement has been met, the payment is as good as done.

    She said: “All we need is to confirm that you are the authentic owner of the property. We use your bank BVN number also for identification.”

    Mrs Onabule said Governor Ambode is concerned about the rightful owner getting his dues.

    She said the compensation list was long.

    At Pen Cinema in Agege, over 167 properties had been enumerated; at Ishawo Road in Ikorodu, over 600 properties were enumerated and on Murtala Mohammed Way in Ebute Meta, over 500 properties had been enumerated.

    Mrs Onabule noted that to arrive at the amount to be paid to individuals, the government involved members of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), including its land and field officers in the Lands Bureau, to assist it.

    She said: “Compensation is an ongoing exercise and we will continue to pay compensation for any property we acquire. Even people that do not have registered title documents on their properties are getting compensating. That is the directive of the governor, because he doesn’t want anybody to be rendered homeless.”

    The Permanent Secretary for Lands Bureau, Bode Agoro, said the money for the payment of compensation had been approved and saved in a bank.

    He urged claimants to be patient, adding that everybody wouldbe paid because the money is available.

  • Infringement: Court orders EFCC to pay N5m compensation to Jonathan’s ex-minister

    An FCT High Court on Thursday ordered Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to pay five million compensation to a former Minister of FCT, Malam Bala Mohammed, for infringing on his liberty.

    Mohammed, a minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in the Goodluck Jonathan Administration, was in the custody of EFCC from October 24, 2016, to November 29, 2016, when the court granted him bail.

    However, he remained in the custody of EFCC until December 8, 2016.

    The agency claimed it acted based on a petition against him from a member of the public.

    The former minister filed a motion on notice on November 16 before Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf for the enforcement of his fundamental rights which he claimed EFCC violated.

    Baba-Yusuf on November 29 granted him bail according to the Provisions of Sections 165 and 158 (b) of the Administration of Justice Act 2015.

    Delivering judgment on the suit, Baba-Yusuf held that while the detention from October 24 till November 29 was lawful, his continued detention after he was granted bail on November 29 was illegal.

    He held that if it was true that the applicant was detained because he could not fulfil the terms of bail granted by EFCC but he fulfilled the condition for the bail that the court granted him and he was still detained.

    The judge held that the respondent was not sincere in the way it handled the matter when it claimed that the applicant was detained based on a court order but failed to obey another court order which gave him bail.

    “The detention is illegal and infringes on his personal liberty which is against the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    ” I, therefore, declare that the detention of the applicant is unlawful and fragrant violation of his personal liberty.

    ” I also declare that the applicant is entitled to bail by the respondent and a compensation for the infringement of the applicant’s right be accessed at five million naira,” the judge declared.

  • Ikeja Bomb Blast: 15years after, families yet to receive compensation from LASG

    Families of victims of the Ikeja Military Cantonment Bomb Blasts in Lagos have cried out to the Lagos State Government to fulfill its promise of adequately compensating victims of the blast that happened exactly 15 years ago.

    The families on Friday cried out to the relevant authorities to help pay the money they promised after the incident.

    The Chairman, 2002 Ikeja Bomb Blasts Victims’ Families, Mr Nurudeen Oyegbemi, made the call at the site of the mass burial, where prayers were offered for the souls of the departed at Oke-Afa, Isolo, in Lagos.

    While speaking, Oyegbami said the Lagos State Government paid compensation to 70 families of victims, while 84 families were excluded.

    “This incident happened on Jan. 27, 2002 and most of us lost our relatives and loved ones.

    “When the incident happened, we were told that those that lost their loved ones should register their names with the state government.

    “The following year, the Federal Government invited us to the National Assembly and gave N500, 000 to those that lost their beloved ones, while N250, 000 was given to the victims’ families that got missing.

    “According to the government, they made us to understand that the monies given were just relief packages, adding that they would soon compensate us adequately.

    “After ten years, the Lagos State Government, out of the 154 victims’ families, gave only 70 families N250, 000 while the remaining 84 were left behind and since then, they have not done anything about it,’’ he said.

    Oyegbemi, who lost his 14-year old son in the bomb blasts, called on the federal and state governments not to abandon them and come to their aid.

    The vice chairman of the group, Mr Ise Christopher, who also lost his daughter, Adesua, during the blasts, aligned himself with the chairman by appealing to the governments to come to their aid.

    “The elder brother of Adesua was also in the canal but we were able to bring him out alive and revive him, although we spent a lot of money to revive him in the hospital,’’ he said.

    TheNewsGuru.com recalls that the blast occurred on Sunday, January 27, 2002.