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Awosika’s Re-Election Into UN Commission Excites FG
The Nigeria’s Permanent Mission to the UN says the re-election of Prof. Lawrence Folajimi Awosika as chairman of UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) is a great achievement for the country.
The permanent mission, in a statement in New York, said Awosika’s re-election for the fifth term was a great achievement for the mission and Nigeria.
“It is also a great achievement for the new Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations, Prof. Tijjani Bande,” the statement read.
Awosika is a Nigerian Marine Geophysicist and former Director of Marine Geology/Geophysics of the Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research Lagos.
The Mission pointed out that Awosika had been re-elected for a fifth term in the first round of balloting for another five-year term into the Commission.
The Commission, which comprises of 21 experts in the fields of Geology, Geophysics or Hydrography are elected for a term of five years.
The election of 20 members of the commission was held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York Wednesday evening.
The 21st member of the commission will be elected at a later date when the Eastern European Group submits its candidates.
Awosika was the outgoing chairman having chaired the commission in the past five years from 2012 to 2017.
“The newly elected 20 members of the commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf shall serve for a term of five years, commencing from July 2017 to June 2022.”
The CLCS was established following the entry into force of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Nigeria and over 120 countries in the world have the potential to extend their maritime claim to a maximum of 350 nautical miles.
Coastal states intending to establish the outer limits of their continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from the baseline from which the breadth of their territorial sea is measured.
They are required by Article 76 of the Convention to submit the relevant data and information to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf.
“It is to be noted that Nigeria made her submission to the Commission in 1997 for an extended continental shelf.
“The commission started the consideration of Nigeria’s submission in August 2014 which is still in progress. Nigeria will gain additional maritime space with the submission to the Commission.
“The extended continental shelf, which contains valuable resources, will enhance Nigeria’s economy,” the permanent mission said.
According to Article 76 of UNCLOS, the functions of the commission include to consider the data and other material submitted by coastal states concerning the outer limits of the continental shelf.
Providing scientific and technical advice to coastal states is also a function of the commission.
Article 76 guides coastal states intending to establish the outer limits of its continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles.
Such states are obligated to submit supporting scientific and technical data of submerged prolongation of the land mass of the coastal State, and consist of the seabed and subsoil of the shelf, the slope and the rise.
It, however, does not include the deep ocean floor with its oceanic ridges or the subsoil thereof.
The Commission shall then consider and analyse the data and make recommendations in writing to the coastal State which made the submission and to the Secretary-General of the UN.
The limits of the shelf established by a coastal State on the basis of these recommendations shall be final and binding.
The delineation of the continental shelf of a coastal State is in accordance with article 76 annex II to the Convention and annex II to the Final Act of the Third UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Such delineation requires a programme for hydrographic, geological, geophysical and geodetic surveying and mapping of the continental margin.
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has called on Nigerians to reject silence in the face of extrajudicial killings and other abuses of human rights.
Soyinka stressed that accountability and civic courage remain essential to rebuilding public confidence in the nation’s institutions.
He made the call during the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture held in Port Harcourt, last Friday as part of activities marking his 92nd birthday.
The lecture, themed “Reclaiming the Nigerian State through Accountability, Justice and Civic Courage,” drew participants from different sectors of society.
The renowned playwright and human rights advocate said the country’s greatest tragedy was not only the unlawful killings carried out by state and non-state actors, but also the silence that often follows such incidents, allowing perpetrators to evade justice.
According to him, indifference by citizens to abuses of power and violations of fundamental human rights has contributed to the persistence of extrajudicial killings and other forms of injustice across the country.
Soyinka said he dedicated this year’s lecture to victims of unlawful killings, noting that the event was intended to honour individuals who had lost their lives as a result of failures within the justice system and society’s inability to protect the sanctity of human life.
He stressed that the lecture was dedicated to what he described as the basic unit of every society – the human being, and urged Nigerians to place greater value on human dignity irrespective of ethnicity, religion or social status.
The Nobel Laureate recalled several incidents of violence, including the fatal shooting and killing of a young man in Ugheli in Delta State by a police officer, and the mob killing of Deborah Yakubu in Sokoto State sometime ago, lamenting that many of those responsible are yet to face justice.
He expressed concern that some perpetrators of violent crimes had openly admitted their actions without fear of prosecution, describing such situations as evidence of serious failures within the nation’s justice system.
Soyinka maintained that when justice is delayed or denied, public confidence in state institutions continues to erode, thereby encouraging further violations of human rights.
Responding to critics who accuse him of promoting religious or ethnic divisions whenever he spoke on such issues, Soyinka dismissed the allegations and pointed out that his advocacy has always centred on the protection of human life and the rule of law.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and continue demanding justice in cases of alleged extrajudicial killings, including the recent shooting of a young man by a police officer, stressing that every life deserves equal protection under the law.
The literary icon also recalled an earlier pledge by a past incoming president to make public the files relating to unresolved assassinations and extrajudicial killings, questioning the status of the promised investigations.
He challenged citizens to continue asking questions about unresolved cases, insisting that justice, accountability and respect for human dignity are indispensable to building a peaceful, democratic and inclusive Nigerian society.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has clarified that there was no fire at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, contrary to its earlier advisory.
Earlier yesterday, FAAN had announced that a fire incident had occurred at Terminal 2 of the nation’s busiest airport, and assured that its Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service had been deployed to contain the situation.
There were also reports that activities were briefly disrupted at the airport yesterday after smoke was seen inside parts of the terminal.
Videos circulating online showed passengers kept standing outside the terminal while firefighters responded to the incident.
However, in an update issued less than two hours later by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, and posted on FAAN’s official X handle, the authority said preliminary findings showed that the smoke seen at the terminal was caused by the discharge of the facility’s FM-200 fire suppression system.
“Further to our earlier advisory regarding the incident at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) wishes to provide the following update,” the statement read.
“Preliminary findings indicate that there was no fire at the terminal. The smoke observed within the affected area resulted from the discharge of the terminal’s FM-200 fire suppression system. The reason for the activation of the fire suppression system is currently being investigated,” FAAN stated.
The authority said normal operations had resumed at the terminal while investigations were ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.
“Normal operations have since resumed at the terminal, while detailed investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident,” the statement added.
The authority thanked passengers, airlines, airport users and other stakeholders for their understanding and cooperation.
FAAN appreciated the understanding and cooperation of passengers, airlines, airport users and all stakeholders, and reiterated its commitment to the safety and security of all airport operations.