The Bonny Customary Court District Rivers State of Nigeria has restrained Bonny Chiefs Council from presenting Amaopusenibo Jonathan T. Banigo to the Amanyanabo in Council for recognition as the family head of Banigo Major House Bonny.
Upon the motion experts in suit No. CCB/2/2013 between Chief Elect Joel Dagogo Ibaningo as claimant and Se-Alabo Aminiowua Owen Manilla Pepple, Se-Alabo A. L.S. Willie Pepple for and on behalf of Bonny Chiefs Council Bonny as Defendants/Respondents, dated 21st day of February, 2013 before Hon. C.T. Banigo Esq. Chairman, Hon. K.S. Tolofari and Hon. W.M Banigo Esq. Members praying the Honorable Court for an Order of Interim Injunction. And upon Reading the affidavit in support of the motion deposed to by Chief Elect Joel Dagogo Ibaningo and after Hearing the submissions of C.U. Isaiah Green Esq. of Council for the Claimant/Applicant.
IT IS ORDERED that the Defendants/Respondents either by themselves, agents, servants or Privies as Principal Officers of the Bonny Chiefs Council are hereby restrained from presentilig for recognition the family head of Banigo Major House to the Amanyanabo in Council, pending the determination of the motion on notice.
The Defendants/Respondents Counsel, Opuada Willie Pepple Esq. of Pepple and Pepple acknowledged the order of the Court through a letter he wrote to the Court dated 27th February, 2013, and copy the Claimant Counsel, that the Defendant will obey the order of the court and they do not intend to interfere with the status quo whilst the suit is pending.
On the 17th July, 2013 Upon the Motion on notice, praying the Honorable Court for an order of Interlocutory injunction, after hearing the submissions of Cu. Isaiah Green Esq. of Counsel for the Claimants/Applicant and the Defendants did not countered the motion.
IT IS ORDERED that Defendants/Respondents either by themselves, Agent, Servant or Privies as Principals Officers of Bonny Chiefs Councils from presenting for Recognition, the family Head of Banigo Major House to the Amanyanabo in Council, pending the determination of the Suit.
CERTIFIED TRUE COPY
The Bonny Chiefs Council through their Counsel filed in the High Court of Rivers State of Nigeria for Judicial Review in a suit No. PHC/1856/2013 dated 22 August, 2013, which was strikeout in favor of Chief Elect. Joel Dagogo Ibaningo (Claimant/Respondents.
The Bonny Chiefs Council applied for reenlistment of the suit, which is now pending in the High Court. There are several pending cases in the Customary Court, Magistrate Courts, High Courts, Customary Court of Appeal and the Court of Appeal, in respect of the Chieftaincy tussle in Banigo Major House, Bonny which Bonny Chiefs Council are parties.
The Bonny Chiefs Council are aware of the existence of suit No. CCB/2/2013, P HC/1856/2013, M B/4 Misc/2012, CCB/1 1/2015, CCB/17/2015, CA/PH/149/2013 all in respect of Banigo Major House Chieftaincy Tussle.
Amaopusenibo Jonathan T. Banigo is still placing false information regarding the State of affairs in Banigo Major House Bonny and cases in Court with a view to misleading the Bonny Chiefs Council.
The Banigo Major House, wish to place on record as follows:
- That the Judgment in suit No. CCB/6/2011 is still subsisting as same has not been set aside by any Court.
- That the ruling in PHC/396/2012 delivered by Hon. Justice S.C. Amadi J. did not set aside the judgment of suit No. CCB/6/2011.
Perhaps it might be necessary to refer the Bonny Chiefs Council to pages 17 and 18 of Hon. Justice S.C. Amadi J. Ruling in suit No. PHC/396/2012. A carefully perusal of the said Ruling and particularly the last paragraph of page 17 which spilled into the first paragraph of page 18 and you will find out that the learned Justice neither quashed the Judgment in CCB/6/2011 nor the Ruling of the Customary Court which was delivered on the 18th day of June, 2012.
- That the Ruling in suit No. OYHC/194/2011 delivered by Hon. Justice M.W. Danagogo on the 19th Day of July, 2012 only make an order striking out the suit and advise the Claimant to commence his action by writ of summons which led to suit No. PHC/1709/2012. Is this a judgment of Court? It will be erroneous for Bonny Chiefs Council to believe that there is no subsisting judgment of court and by that belief allow the Council to be drawn into a contemptuous situation which is not too healthy for the Council.
The Bonny Chiefs Council has made several secret attempts/arrangements to recognise Amaopusenibo J. T. Banigo as Head of Banigo Major House of Bonny, but for the warning of the Divisional Police Officer, (D.P.O) Bonny in October, 2012, August, 2013, February, 2014, and December, 2014. The D.P.O Bonny invited the parties and warned the Bonny Chiefs Council through their representative, Chief Justine Jim Halliday, not to do anything that will cause a breach of the peace in Bonny. That warning brought peace to Banigo Major House and the entire Ben kingdom in General; the Bonny Chiefs Council denied the secret plan through a letter dated 24th December, 2014. And again the Bonny Chiefs Council under the Chairmanship of Se-Alabo A.O. Manilla Pepple (the Defendant) in the suits is currently trying to disobey the order of the Court and the warning of the Divisional Police Officer Bonny. As we make this publication, secret arrangement are in top gear to present and recognize the said Amaopusenibo Jonathan T. Banigo to the Amanyanabo in Council as the Head of Banigo Major House of Bonny on 21st November, 2015, along with Chief Adda Allison and the Elders, Youths and Women of Banigo Major House are opposed to any form of recognition until the cases in Court are determined and would resist any such attempt as same will definitely cause serious breach of the peace in Bonny Kingdom. And will also amounts to contempt of Court. The Banigo Major House under the chairmanship of Warisenibo H. T. Igoni have been quite reluctant to drag the highly respected and the time honoured Chieftaincy institution of Bonny kingdom to Court to face contempt charges which had been committed more than once under the authority of Chief A. O. Manilla Pepple, the present chairman of Bonny Chiefs Council – there is a limit to patience and would urge the Bonny Chiefs Council to take a dispassionate look at the events so far and give Banigo Major House a human face and her due recognition as a Major House in Bonny kingdom so as to avoid unpleasant consequences in future.
Accordingly, the Banigo Major House requested that the Bonny Chiefs Council should shelve the purported recognition of Amaopusenibo Jonathan T. Banigo as Head of Banigo Major House on the 21st November, 2015 or on any other date pending the determination of the cases in Court and save Banigo Major House, and the entire Bonny kingdom the troubles usually associated with situations of this nature.
The Chiefs Council should avoid taking any step that may be considered contemptuous of the subsisting order of the Customary Court, Bonny.
The Youths As Leaders Of Tomorrow, True Or False
We live in a society where people are able to voice their opinions on any subject that is imperative and heart burning to them. Because of the rights given to us in our constitution (section 39), every individual can make their ideas known to the society when the need arises. Politics arises because of the need of people to make decision in time of needs, in face of diversities, challenges and in time of intricacy to achieve a common goal for the people. As Aristotle has put it in black and white thus; “humans are political animal” if this is true it them implies that politics is inevitable to mankind, and we must understand that politics can only get effective and meaningful when we all get involved directly or otherwise. As a matter of veracity politics cannot be displace in every national and local development since it is the interest of the people that is been represented at all level of government and the nitty-gritty of government is to serve and protect is people at all level and get the people involve in is daily obligations.
After careful analyst I deduce that majority of the vote been casted during the last general election was been cast by the youths. With estimation of about 53 million, the youths are imperative factor that contributing immensely the voting power of our great nation yet the youths are missing earnestly from the political terrain as vigorous players. Looking at the executive and legislative arm of government in our country Nigeria the number of youths is not appealing. During the last general election some young life was lost and some injured but the gladiators are alive, yet the youths are not given the privilege to pilots the affairs of our great nation in their own capacity. This lead to the question, when will the youth become leaders of tomorrow? Is it only voting that the youth should participate and not in the running of the government affairs? Are the youth tools for the political gladiators to obtain their motives? Are they tools use by the gladiators for electoral fraud? Or does it means the Nigerian political leaders have taken over the political terrain and locked it against the youths but still pronouncing the youths as the leaders of tomorrow? Like the vice president tweeted on 13th October 2015 and I quote “that we could not find some outstanding youths to form a cabinet is a challenge to our youths to brace up”. Does this means that among about 53 million youths in Nigeria there is no one qualified enough to be in the cabinet? Are the youths not vigorously enough to navigate the affairs of our great nation? But are only vigorous in voting and not participating in decision making. There is God ooo.
The youth’s populace are grumpy due to lack of employment yet the little stipend which the present administration use as one of their manifestos has just been jettisoned by the red chambers of the national assembly. Does this means that the youths cannot have faith in our government if promise cannot be fulfilled? The youths and women are to dominate in Canadian PM, Justice Trudeau’s yet in Nigeria no such room. Mhairi Black, a 20-year-old female student of the University of Glasgow, defeated a veteran parliamentarian in a quest for change in the United Kingdom recently, can this happen in Nigeria? In South Africa Mmusi Maimane, a 34-year -old black man was also recently elected to lead the main opposition party in a strategic move to rein in the ruling party. Are the youths still the leaders of tomorrow if they cannot partake in decision making.
One thing is certain, the present leaders owe the youths a great duty to do everything within their aptitude to inculcate the spirit of good leadership, sense of belonging, selfless and patriotic service, spirit of egalitarianism, understanding and good consideration in them so that tomorrow of our nation can be better than our today. Posterity will not forgive the leaders if they fail to include the youths in nation building but still expect greatness from them to the society. Our leaders should understand that we can only build our tomorrow base on what is available today and if today is not fixed tomorrow will definitely be murky. The leaders should be aware that THE YOUTHS ARE NOT SMILING for not been part of government and decision making.
It is with high sense of humility and humbleness that Nigerians give this present administration lead by our able president (Muhammdu Buhari) to be an agent of change, believing that he will transmogrify the status quo of the nation to greater zenith. In a situation where this change cannot be materialize it then implies that the people more especially the youths will lost hope in the government. To all elected political officers and political appointees the interest of the nation and the people should be more vital and requisite to you all bearing in the followings in mind that;
The power is nothing when the people are not getting quality education
The power is nothing when there are no adequate health care facilities
The power is nothing when the people are not getting electricity
The power is nothing when the people are dying with the PhDs (poverty, hunger and diseases).
Power is nothing when there are no Jobs for the youths
Power is nothing when there is no security for the citizen.
To the youths, the internet has become a dais where we exercise our power and some even become political internet guerrilla leaders but in the real life no were to be found either in executive or legislative arm of government. Some even take delight in servings the political gladiators as thugs and errant boys because they gain their green pasture from them, others have some lost hope already seeing that the leaders don’t want to include them in the system. Awolowo was 37, Akintola was 36, Ahmadu Bello was 36, Tafawa Balewa was 34, Okotie-Eboh was 27 and Enahoro was 27 at the time of independence of Nigeria. In 1966, the first coup was led by Kaduna Nzeogwu (29) and stopped by Murtala Mohammed (28), TY Danjuma (28), IBB (25), Sanni Abacha (23) and Shehu Yaradua (23). It brought in Yakubu Gowon as Head of State at 32 and Obasanjo at 29. Some of us are in 40s and still sag trousers, we are only good to used and discarded like a used ballot paper. Who keeps a used ballot paper? That is why they only remember us every four years. Just like menstrual pad that is only useful during the menstrual period. Shall we continue like this? Certain not. Becoming problems analyst cannot help matters but finding a solution to it is of high necessity. I therefore challenge all the youths to stand up and stand out for greatness in our country, get involve and don’t allowed to be used. Nigeria is our country and we must get involved in decision making. In every occupation there is always the bad eggs, but the good people hone in to change the game. Enough is enough, stop staying idle get busy positively. If they do before, it is a sign that we can do it again. I am very enthusiastic and optimistic that Nigerians youths are qualified and have it takes to be part of decision making in our country. Arise and shine o compatriot and answer the call to a greater Nigeria.
God bless Nigeria
Anderson Anderson A
