Karibi-Whyte: Courts Should Carry out Substantial Justice

A retired Supreme Court judge, Justice Adolphus Karibi-Whyte, yesterday enjoined courts to “avoid technical justice and do substantial justice.”

Karibi-Whyte made the call while delivering a lecture titled “In the Eyes of the Law” at the week-long celebration of the 35th anniversary of the National Institute of Legal Studies (NIALS) in Abuja.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the retired judge referred to the decision of the Supreme Court on the 1979 presidential election adding that it was “one case that resonated so many years after the decision had been handed down”.

He identified two other election petitions decided by the apex court which included the Adamawa and Rivers governorship election of 1999 and 2007 respectively adding that the decisions remained “jurisprudential”.

“In Nigeria, we have several notable judicial pronouncements and I chose to discuss three which I consider novel in many respects.

“What is 12 two-third of 19 will continue resonate in this country and beyond; the expanded definition of death in the Adamawa case will remain a challenge to lawyers and medical practitioners.
“And that someone whose name was omitted in election boxes and deprived of standing for election was eventually declared a winner has remained jurisprudential.

In the cases analysed, the issue has been whether the courts make or interpret laws.
“It is trite that courts do not make but expound the law and in doing this it is in the interest of justice and fair play to shy away from technicalities,” he said.

He noted that there was a need for words used in decisions to be explicit adding that the rules of interpretation were meant to aid effective creation of statutes.

Also speaking, Prof. Epiphany Azinge, Director-General, NAILS, told newsmen that the lecture was a way for stakeholders to share their views and also sensitise the public on decisions of the judiciary.
“It is not often that the public exception of what the judiciary has done seems to be in accord with their expectation but it is not for everybody to interpret the law.

“The decision is vested in the judges so even if they make mistakes in the course of their interpretation, we have to live with such mistakes.

“But in order to make sure mistakes are corrected, we have the hierarchy of the courts.
“We have taken this as an opportunity for them to ventilate their views on this matter and sensitise people.
“They should continue to bear with us and understand that in the course of interpretation there are certain technicalities that must come to mind and the judges are trained to do so,” he said.
The lecture was part of activities to mark the week long 35th anniversary of the institute.

REGULAR EXERCISE CAN REDUCE PRE-MATURE DEATHS

   

Professor of Chemical Pathology at the College of Health Sciences, University of Ilorin, Abdulrasaq Akande, said at the weekend that regular exercise can reduce the risk of early deaths by up to 30 per cent.

He added that regular exercise also reduces risk of major illnesses by up to 50 per cent, urging Nigerians to cultivate the habit.
“It can reduce coronary heart disease and stroke by 35 per cent, lowers risk of Type 2 diabetes by up to 50 per cent and lowers risk of colon and breast cancer among other diseases,” he said.
Akande, while delivering the 144th inaugural lecture of the University of Ilorin, said for an individual to feel better, have more energy and live longer, regular exercise is very vital, adding that many people are dying “little by little” due to lack of adequate health information.
The don recommended physical activity for different age groups, suggesting that children under five years should exercise for 180 minutes everyday; five to 18 years should do 60 minutes while adults should embark on physical exercise for 150 minutes every week.

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NCAA CLEARS MEDVIEW AIRCRAFT TO FLY AGAIN

The MedView aircraft that made an air return Saturday following a smoke alarm in the cabin has been declared safe and cleared by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to fly again.

The NCAA had grounded the aircraft following the smoke scare and conducted safety checks on the Boeing 734 aircraft with registration number 5N-BPB.
Medview Airline confirmed in a statement that after the 30 minutes flight to Ibadan and back to Lagos with the inspectors on board, the aircraft was given a clean bill of health. They concluded that what was mistaken for smoke, which caused false fire alarm, could have been thick fog from the aircraft cooling system.
A statement by the media consultant on behalf of the airline’s management, Obuke Oyibotha, commended the timely action of NCAA in conducting checks on the aircraft and releasing it for normal flight operations.
The Medview aircraft en-route Abuja on Saturday took off 9:12am at the Murtala Muhammed Airport 2, Lagos, but had to make a precautionary air return back to Lagos following a smoke alarm five minutes after takeoff.
The aircraft had 94 passengers and five crew members onboard. It landed at the Lagos airport safely at 9:17am and all the passengers safely disembarked following the deployment of the emergency slides. They were later put on another flight to Abuja by 1pm.

2015: Nigerians Should Vote for Credible Politicians - Kumuyi

As Nigerians prepare for the 2015 general elections, the General Supritendent of Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Pastor William Kumuyi, has called on electorates to vote for credible candidates.

Kumuyi made this clarion call in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital, during the ministry’s two-day crusade. The crusade took place on Friday and Saturday in the oil rich state.

The former university don however appealed to Nigerians not to rely on sentiment in their votes but to vote for people who could deliver on the dividends of democracy and good governance.

Kumuyi said, “Concerning the coming elections, we (Nigerians) can say that only credible candidates show up for the election. The political power is in the hands of the people. It is for the people to vote for credible people who can rule the country well and not those with selfish motives.

“I urge Nigerians to vote for the right people. I believe that when we are able to vote for the right and proper people, we will together lift up the country.”

On insecurity, the cleric said Nigeria would enjoy peace again, despite the ongoing events in the nation.

He urged Nigerians to look unto God and not to beworried, saying that he was optimistic that God would soon solve the nation’s numerous challenges.

He said, “Obviously, Nigeria as a country has challenges. Some might call them problems, but I prefer to call them challenges. And we as a nation should not give up in looking unto God. I believe that God will help to solve those challenges even in our own time.

“What I can say is that God is on the throne. I believe that before long, we would have more security, peace and prosperity in the country more than we have seen before.”

“What I will say to the people of Bayelsa is that they should let peace reign. Live and let others live. We need to understand that without other people, our lives cannot be complete.”

Picture of woman who got married to her Dog yesterday

A woman in the United Kingdom who said she was tired of men has found an unlikely partner in her dog.

46-year-old divorcee, Amanda Rodgers, got married to her pet in a ceremony which was witnessed by 200 people and described as romantic.

The event held in Croatia and Amanda wore black stockings while Sheba the dog wore a traditional white dress.

The happy newlywed said:

 “Sheba had been in my life for years, making me laugh and comforting me when I was feeling low. I couldn’t think of anything more I’d need from a life partner.”

Ms. Rodgers got married to a male human being 20 years ago but it didn’t work out between them.