NIGERIA’S HIGHWAY BANKERS

The high rate of criminal activities; armed robbery, maiming, etc on Nigerian roads has led to the loss of several lives and property. In order to curb this dangerous trend the number of security and transport officials has been buoyed all over major cities in Nigeria.

However transport officials have been tainted by accusations of high handedness and graft. It is a common belief that the vehicular highway is the highway to prosperity, as much as traffic control and management is concerned. All about roads in the country, it is no secret that traffic officers make a fortune of road users. Fines which are collected on the spot from erring road users range from as low as 20 naira to hundreds of thousands. Most times offenders are proven guilty before they are even accused.

The table was however turned when an official of LASTMA (Lagos state transport Management Authority) was sentenced to 4 years in prison without an option of fine; he was convicted for accepting 10,000 naira. The security official claimed it was a gift for a previous good deed.

‘Injustice’ he cried out as he was led out of the dock. A cry that the Lagos state government replied to, saying that this is a litmus test that would serve as a deterrent to other criminal minded LASTMA officials.  If the truth be told, the custard coloured road umpires have never really been in the good books of Lagosians. The rule of thumb for LASTMA hasn’t always really been proactive rather it has been insidiously reactive. The road user is subtly lured into committing a traffic offense and then made to part with cash on the spot. It is doubtful if the monies are remitted to the state’s coffers

Now this is not to excuse the erring road user; it is commonly said, if you can drive in Lagos, you can drive anywhere in the world. Road users have a part to play in this blame game. Many are unaware of existing traffic regulations, laws and fines, and would rather pay an ex-gratia gift to a transport official than appear before a traffic magistrate. Surprisingly the laws are clear, plain and the fines aren’t as expensive as the road side bankers want us to believe

The proper question to ask is this, how ethical is it to receive gifts for doing your job? The traffic official argued that it was a gift. But the judge reading between the lines like we all know, assumed that the Transport official had received the money for helping to break a traffic regulation

Indeed for the Government, this is a story with immense ramifications for its fight against graft and corruption by public officials. However cynics have scoffed saying, 10, 000 naira pales in comparison to the billions of naira being looted from the nation’s public coffers; arguing that traffic offenses and outright negligence have led to the loss of lives but then monies denied to infrastructural development have wreaked more havoc on the country’s populace

Emmafemi, CONNECTAFRICA

MADAGASCAR’S RATSARIKA SCUTTLES PLANS FOR UNITY GOVT

One of Madagascar’s main political parties pulled out of talks to end the Indian Ocean island’s political crisis at the weekend, days after the United Nations hailed a breakthrough.

The snub by allies of former President Didier Ratsiraka, who remains an influential figure in Malagasy politics, threatens to derail efforts to form a consensus government and agree a roadmap leading to presidential elections.

Ratsiraka was forced into exile in France during the country’s last crisis in 2002 that saw Marc Ravalomanana take power. He was in turn forced into exile in South Africa this year by new President Andry Rajoelina.

“The delegation suspends its role in talks,” Ange Andrianarisoa, a member of Ratsiraka’s team, told Reuters.

Madagascar has been wrought by political instability since the beginning of 2009 when Rajoelina challenged the president and seized power in March with the help of dissident soldiers.

The turmoil has continued as Ravalomanana insists from exile that he remains president, and other political heavyweights jostle for position ahead of promised elections.

An end to the chaos, which has wrecked the island’s $390 million-a-year tourism sector, appeared near on Friday evening when United Nations envoy Drame Tiebile said the feuding parties had agreed to form an inclusive interim government.

However, Ratsiraka then wrote in a letter that the conditions were not right for a calm, honest and constructive dialogue and set down conditions for his party to resume talks

SOMALI’S ISLAMIST GROUP CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY FOR SUICIDE ATTACK

Somalia’s Islamist militant group al-Shabab, accused of having links to al-Qaeda, has claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in the capital.

The group’s political leader Sheik Husein Ali Fidow said a Somali teenager had carried out Sunday’s attack, which killed six soldiers and a civilian.

Meanwhile, Somalia’s president has asked for international help to stop foreigners fighting with the militants.

Some 60,000 people have fled the recent upsurge of fighting in Mogadishu.

President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, a moderate Islamist elected by a unity government in January as part of a UN-backed peace initiative, said a government offensive against the insurgents would continue.

About 200 people are thought to have been killed since the beginning of May, as Islamist insurgents try to topple the fragile interim government.

The UN refugee agency’s Roberta Russo said an estimated 8,000 were displaced on Friday alone when the government offensive began.

“Some of the people had only recently returned to Mogadishu because of the relative peace since the beginning of the year,” she told the BBC’s Network Africa programme.

Mr Ahmed, whose introduction of Sharia law has not appeased the Islamist insurgents, said mediation by clerics had failed and his government had no choice but to fight on.

SOURCED FROM BBC

11 KILLED IN MOROCCO CONCERT STAMPEDE

At least 11 people have been killed in the Moroccan capital Rabat, following a stampede at a world music concert.

Some 40 were injured when a wire fence collapsed at the Mawazine festival.

The incident happened on Saturday night, when some 70,000 spectators were packed into the Hay Nahda stadium to see Moroccan singer Abdelaziz Stati.

The nine-day-long event has featured such international stars as Kylie Minogue, Algerian rai singer Khaled, Alicia Keys and Stevie Wonder.

Analysts say the nine-day-long Mawazine festival is one of several events aimed at promoting Morocco’s image as a modern, tolerant nation.

But some of the country’s Islamist politicians have denounced the concerts as encouraging immoral behaviour.

The festival was drawing to a close when the stampede occurred.

Shortly after midnight on Sunday morning, thousands of spectators hurried to leave and a wire fence toppled over.

According to police, five women, four men and two children died in the ensuing crush.

Governor of Rabat Hassan Lamrani blamed the stampede on an attempt by some concert goers to rush out of the stadium by jumping security fences.

“At the end of the concert and despite the existence of seven gates, a group of citizens decided to go over the metal barriers to have a quick exit,” Mr Lamrani said.

But one of the dozens of concert-goers injured in the crush told Reuters news agency police were partly responsible for the incident.

“The doors were closed by the police and we were forced to leave the stadium from some places not destined for this purpose. The police did not intervene.”

Rescuers helped to pull out survivors and transport the injured to hospital, where seven people remain under observation, according to AFP news agency.

Deadly crowd stampedes in Africa are usually associated with sports events, according to BBC North Africa correspondent Rana Jawad.

But this is the second known incident of its kind in the region; in 2007 a stampede at a concert in Tunisia killed seven people.

SOURCED FROM REUTERS

Several people were taken to hospital after the incident