News
Court Hears Dock Workers’ Application, Feb 14
The National Industrial Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State presided over by Justice Hamma Polycarp has fixed February 14, 2018 to hear an application for amendment in the originating suit brought by the over 200 workers of BUA Ports & Terminal and PTOL against the Terminal Operators Limited, all in Port Harcourt Seaport.
The BUA Ports & Terminal and PTOL under the aegis of Dock Workers’ Maritime Union of Nigeria had in 2015, dragged their employers, the Terminal Operators Ltd over their refusal to implement and pay them the 2008 national minimum wage as approved by the Federal Government, in violation to the agreement reached by both parties.
At the resumption of the matter, last Monday, counsel to the claimants, Barrister Uche Ogwubu sought the leave of the court to withdraw one of the two applications seeking for interlocutory injunction, adding that the reason was hinged on the fact that the motion had been overtaken by the exigencies of the time.
Ogwudu urged the court to strike out the application while the second application bordering on the amendment of the originating suit was allowed to continue as it was not time bound and would give credence to the subject matter under litigation.
However, in his response, counsel to the defendants in the matter, Barrister Angus Chukwuka urged the court to strike out the application bordering on amendment rather than the interlocutory injunction, because he had replied to the claimants pleas on the point of law.
The defendants’ counsel also urged the court to award cost against the claimants for abandoning their application since 2015.
In his short ruling, the trial judge, Justice Hamma Polycarp, struck out the application for interlocutory injunction based on the claimants’ lawyer’s request to withdraw the application, and also refused to award cost against the claimants as sought by the defendant’s counsel.
He also adjourned the matter to February 14, 2018, for the hearing.
In a related development, the National Industrial Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State has struck out a suit filed by the Dock Workers in BUA Ports Terminal Limited against BUA Ports and Terminal Operators Limited.
The trial judge, Justice Hamma Ploycarp struck out the matter after hearing from both counsel in the matter, and upheld the submission made by the defendants’ counsel, Barrister Angus Chukwuka.
It would be recalled that Chukwuka had during his argument, urged the court to strike out the matter because the originating suit was not signed by the claimants’ counsel, and added that such action had made the entire suit defective and inactive.
Responding, the claimants’ counsel, Barrister Uche Ogwudu concurred with the submission as canvassed by the defendants’ counsel, and urged the court to strike out the suit based on what he described as “human errors”.
According to him, striking out the suit would enable them do the needful, and fast-track the hearing of the matter.
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.