Unit 1012 Cover Photo

Unit 1012 Cover Photo

Friday, July 4, 2014

MEET THE RAYNER GODDARD OF EDO STATE, NIGERIA: ADAMS OSHIOMHOLE



            On this date, July 4, 2013, Adams Oshiomhole, the Governor of Edo State, Nigeria spoke at the second annual seminar on the “Role of Public Complaints Commission in a democratic Nigeria’ organized by the Public Complaint Commission, in Abuja, the governor maintained that anyone who deliberately kill another deserves the capital punishment.

We, the comrades of Unit 1012, encourage the Head of States around the world to learn from Adams Oshiomhole, the Governor of Edo State, Nigeria. He signed the death warrants for two murderers and had them hanged by the neck till dead on June 24, 2013. Altogether 4 murderers were hanged in Nigeria that day, but the other two were hanged in other states in the country.

Adams Oshiomhole courageously spoke out in defense of the death penalty at the second annual seminar on the “Role of Public Complaints Commission in a democratic Nigeria’ organized by the Public Complaint Commission, in Abuja on July 4, 2013.

We, the comrades of Unit 1012, feel that he should be nicknamed: ‘The Rayner Goddard of Edo State, Nigeria’. To add more icing to the cake, Adams Oshiomhole signed the death penalty law for kidnapping on October 18 that year.

Congratulations, Governor! You rightfully deserve the Chief Justice Rayner Goddard Award of 2013.

Adams Oshiomhole
Please see these news sources to learn more about his speech:

ARTICLE TITLE: Capital punishment: I swore to obey the constitution of Nigeria, not yours – Oshiomhole carpets UN, EU, others
DATE: Friday 5 July 2013
AUTHOR: Wale Odunsi
AUTHOR INFORMATION: Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole (born 4 April 1952) is a former labor leader, turned politician who recently won a landslide victory for a second term as the Governor of Edo State in Nigeria on the platform of the Action Congress . His first term was won following his court appeal to the results of a massively rigged April 2007 election in which the candidate of the ruling People's Democratic Party Oserheimen Osunbor had initially been declared the winner. He assumed office on 12 November 2008 after winning the appeal. Oshiomhole was formerly president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and was prominent as the leader of a campaign of industrial action against high oil prices in Nigeria.

Edo state governor, Adams Oshiomhole, has informed the international community that Nigeria as a sovereign nation will always uphold its constitution.

He said this while reacting to the United Nations, European Union and others, over the hanging of the four armed robbers sentenced to death by hanging by the Supreme Court, the nation’s apex court.

Speaking at the second annual seminar on the “Role of Public Complaints Commission in a democratic Nigeria’ organized by the Public Complaint Commission, in Abuja on Thursday, the governor maintained that anyone who deliberately kill another deserves the capital punishment.

“We are part of the international community and my views must just be heard like the views of any other person. I am concerned about death, I am concerned about the sanctity of the human life and even as a Catholic I am even more fanatical about the sanctity of human life, he said.

“As a governor and I believe it is the statement of the European Union he (Ambassado David Macrae, head of delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS European Union) is talking about the rule of law, the rule of law is the fundamental of human right.”

He said during his swearing-in, he swore to obey the Nigerian constitution nd not resolutions, communiqué and recommendations of the international.

“The day I was sworn in, I subscribed to obey the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria there was no suggestion to me that I shall obey the resolution of the UN or the European Union.

Continuing, “I do understand that there is no such thing as universal values. As we speak nations and humans battle ideas on the basis of different value system and it will be abuse of my own right and my own value if some one thinks that his views are superior to my own value and views.

“I do not think that my values are less human and at any rate I will act according to my value that is why I took vow and I say to my brother Ambassador in trying to understand how best to protect the sanctity of human live, we must ask question is it better to pardon those who kill? If it is so, will it lead to more people being killed or should we tell the people that if you kill you don’t have the right to live,” he said.

The governor who said that Nigeria is a sovereign nation that struggled to gain independence so as to live according to the norms, values and culture of the people, regretted that those Nigerians who tried to raise eyebrow over the decision to execute the robbers, live on foreign handouts.

“I did not do what I did in Edo may be because President Goodluck wants me to do so, if President Goodluck Jonathan tells me to go and execute one that does not require it I will not. I will tell him I am the head of the state government.

“The reason is that both the president and myself are the creation of law and we are to abide by the Nigeria constitution. A guy went to rob, after robbing his victim he was not done, he brought out a cutlass and killed the guy, he was not done, he severed the head from the body and butchered the parts and buried them in different locations in other for people not to know that somebody was killed.

He said the police carried out a thorough investigation and the law took its cause.

“They arrested this guy, took him to take them where he buried the different parts and the matter passed through the Edo State High Court, to the Appeal Court and to the Supreme Court.

“I have what is called prerogative of mercy but as a catholic I asked myself the ten commandments said that thy shall not kill and God who has the infinite right to forgive decided to create hell side by side heaven, those he forgive go to heaven those he did not forgive go to hell and if God should create hell, who am I so I refused to exercised my prerogative in favor of the robber so that the order of the supreme court could be carried.

“But there are some idle lawyers who read law upside down. I am happy the bar is here, the bar must be guided by the code, when the supreme court has pronounced a judgment somebody goes to a High Court to challenge the decision of the supreme court by a lower court, even we know a lower court can’t question the supreme court,” he said.

Governor Oshiomhole said it would amount to an abuse of his own value if somebody should think that his own value was superior to his (Oshiomhole), adding that as a sovereign nation, Nigeria defined its national interest and that no other country should define the interest of the country to Nigeria.

“Why should we respect the right of a criminal, what of the right of the victim. In Edo State, if you kill and the law finds you guilty and convicts you, you will not live,” he said.

On the controversy trailing the Nigeria Governors Forum election won by Governor Chibuike Amaech of Rivers State, Governor Oshiomhole said that he was amazed over the comments of the President of the Nigeria Bar Association, Okay Wali.

“The NBA, I have a complain against them. We have had vibrant leadership and an activists as NBA Presidents. I saw the NBA president lending support to people who are not ready to accept a small electoral defeat, he said.

“A man (Jona Jang) came from Jos and the other one (Chibuike Amaechi) came from Rivers to campaign for votes, the Jos man got 16 votes, Rivers got 19 votes. Any day I see the new president, the current president of the NBA, he is an embarrassment to the NBA. He needs to purge himself of those reactionary pro establishment agencies.”

Reacting to the disagreement between the Federal government and the National Assembly in the passage of the Supplementary budget, the former Labour President lamented that the non release of the appropriation was affecting his credibility as a governor.

“I heard that the Presidency and the Minister of Finance who is the Coordinating Minister of the Economy are aggrieved that the National Assembly has refused to entertain or legislate on the supplementary budget, the National Assembly is saying it has passed the budget.

“My own fear remains how to address the challenges facing Edo state. The ministry of finance has not released my money in full. From January till now more than N1.8 billion appropriated to Edo is being delayed by Abuja that is affecting my credibility as a governor to fulfill my commitments to my contractors.

“If as a governor I can’t get my statutory allocation on the basis of the rule of law, I am aggrieved so if Public Complaint Commission can help me. If we don’t manage the system well, we are going to lose credibility before the people.”

He praised the FCT Commissioner of the PCC, Chief Obunike Ohaegbu for the reformations that he had brought to the commission, calling on relevant authorities to further support the commission.


Death Penalty: I Stand by the Constitution, Says Oshiomhole

10 Jul 2013

Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has said he would apply fully the Nigerian Constitution, which he subscribed to and not the laws of a European country or the whims of some activists.

The governor, who said the international community cannot dictate to Nigeria on which values it should adhere to, said there was so much hypocrisy by the international community on the issue of human rights.

Speaking in Abuja, at a one-day seminar on the “Role of the Public Complaints Commission in a Democratic Government in Nigeria,” Oshiomhole said Nigeria as a sovereign nation had a right to define its own national values.

According to him, “Nigeria is a sovereign nation and we have a right to define what we regard as our own national values.  No national interest is defined by others.  As we speak, nations and humans are involved in the battle of ideas on the basis of different value system and it will be abuse of my own value system if someone chooses to assume that his values are superior to my values.”

Oshiomhole said: “I am part of the international community and my views should carry as much weight as the views of any other person in the same international community and where we have not counted the votes, we cannot assume that the views from London are shared by Abuja.”

The governor declared: “As a Catholic, I am more fanatical about the sanctity of life.  The foundation for human rights is the rule of law, not rule of resolution, not rule of communiqué; not rules of recommendations.

“When I was sworn in, I subscribed to the oath that I shall subscribe to the oath that I shall obey the Constitution of Nigeria.  There is no suggestion that I shall obey the UN or resolution of the European Union that has not been domesticated by the Nigerian government.  I do understand that there is no such thing as universal values."

He further argued that Nigerian values are not less elegant, less human and, therefore, not less acceptable.

“In trying to understand how best to protect the sanctity of human life, if you carry out an act and you confess to it, you shall go.  You have no right to tell me that your values are superior to mine,” he said.

The governor decried the activities of some Nigerians, who parrot some of those values that were offensive to the culture and tradition of the African people.

Citing the same sex marriage as one of the offensive laws of the European Union, Oshiomhole said: “Now they are canvassing the same sex marriage.  If they think it is right to marry a man in the West and we think it is a crime to marry a man in Africa, African values are superior to European values and we have to push for them to interrogate their own values.”

The governor noted that more than half of the states in the United States still subscribed to death penalty, stressing that: “We have not heard the European Union say anything about them. He advised the international community to recognise that Nigeria is part of the European community and they cannot give  us orders or insist that we act according to their orders.”

The governor noted that democracy offers space for those who are not satisfied to complain and urge that necessary machinery be put in place to empower the public complaints commission to function effectively.


Nigeria: Edo Hangman - You Can't Dictate to Nigeria, Oshiomhole Tells EU, UN

By JohnBosco Agbakwuru, 5 July 2013

GOVERNOR Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has told the international community especially the United Nations and the European Union to be mindful of the fact that Nigeria is a sovereign nation and should always uphold the constitution of the country and not the resolutions of international community that run contrary to the values of the country.

Governor Oshiomhole who was reacting to the condemnation by the international community over the hanging of the four armed robbers that were sentenced to death by hanging by the nation's apex court, the Supreme Court at the second annual seminar on the "Role of Public Complaints Commission in a democratic Nigeria' organized by the Public Complaint Commission, Federal Capital territory Abuja yesterday said that whoever deliberately killed another person if pronounced guilty by the court should face the music.

The Comrade Governor said that Nigerians are part of the international community and that the country has its values and holds the sanctity of life in a high esteem.

He said, "We are part of the international community and my views must just be heard like the views of any other person. I am concerned about death, I am concerned about the sanctity of the human life and even as a Catholic I am even more fanatical about the sanctity of human life.

"As a governor and I believe it is the statement of the European Union he (Ambassado David Macrae, head of delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS European Union) is talking about the rule of law, the rule of law is the fundamental of human right."

He said when he was sworn-in as a governor of Edo state, he was not told that he would obey resolutions, communiqué and recommendations of the international community, adding, "the day I was sworn in, I subscribed to obey the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria there was no suggestion to me that I shall obey the resolution of the UN or the European Union.

"I do understand that there is no such thing as universal values. As we speak nations and humans battle ideas on the basis of different value system and it will be abuse of my own right and my own value if some one thinks that his views are superior to my own value and views.

"I do not think that my values are less human and at any rate I will act according to my value that is why I took vow and I say to my brother Ambassador in trying to understand how best to protect the sanctity of human live, we must ask question is it better to pardon those who kill? If it is so, will it lead to more people being killed or should we tell the people that if you kill you don't have the right to live," he said.

The governor who said that Nigeria is a sovereign nation that struggled to gain independence so as to live according to the norms, values and culture of the people, regretted that those Nigerians who tried to raise eyebrow over the decision to execute the robbers, live on foreign handouts.

"I did not do what I did in Edo may be because President Goodluck wants me to do so, if President Goodluck Jonathan tells me to go and execute one that does not require it I will not. I will tell him I am the head of the state government.

"The reason is that both the president and myself are the creation of law and we are to abide by the Nigeria constitution. A guy went to rob, after robbing his victim he was not done, he brought out a cutlass and killed the guy, he was not done, he severed the head from the body and butchered the parts and buried them in different locations in other for people not to know that somebody was killed.

"The police carried thorough investigation arrested this guy took him to take them where the guy buried the different parts and the matter passed through the Edo State High Court, to the Appeal Court and to the Supreme Court

"I have what is called prerogative of mercy but as a catholic I asked myself the ten commandments said that thy shall not kill and God who has the infinite right to forgive decided to create hell side by side heaven, those he forgive go to heaven those he did not forgive go to hell and if God should create hell, who am I so I refused to exercised my prerogative in favor of the robber so that the order of the supreme court could be carried.

"But there are some idle lawyers who read law upside down. I am happy the bar is here, the bar must be guided by the code, when the supreme court has pronounced a judgment somebody goes to a High Court to challenge the decision of the supreme court by a lower court, even we know a lower court can't question the supreme court," he said.

Governor Oshiomhole said it would amount to an abuse of his own value if somebody should think that his own value was superior to his (Oshiomhole), adding that as a sovereign nation, Nigeria defined its national interest and that no other country should define the interest of the country to Nigeria.

"Why should we respect the right of a criminal, what of the right of the victim. In Edo State, if you kill and the law finds you guilty and convicts you, you will not live," he said.

On gay marriage, the governor said that the African values were superior to the European Union and that African values could be pushed to the EU for them to examine their conscience, stressing that, "Right from creation it is that man should marry woman and not man to marry man, that is African value and it must be superior.

NBA president an embarrassment to the association

Governor Oshiomhole said that he was amazed over the comments of the President of the Nigeria Bar Association, Chief Okay Wali on the ongoing crisis in the Nigeria Governors Forum which was won by Governor Chibuike Amaech of Rivers State.

He said, "The NBA, I have a complain against them. We have had vibrant leadership and an activists as NBA Presidents. I saw the NBA president lending support to people who are not ready to accept a small electoral defeat.

"A man (Jona Jang) came from Jos and the other one (Chibuike Amaechi) came from Rivers to campaign for votes, the Jos man got 16 votes, Rivers got 19 votes. Any day I see the new president, the current president of the NBA, he is an embarrassment to the NBA. He needs to purge himself of those reactionary pro establishment agencies."

FG sitting on N1.8bn Statutory Allocation of Edo State

The Governor regretted that there have been a disagreement between the Federal government and the National Assembly in the passage of the Supplementary budget which he said had affected his government adding that the non release of the appropriation for the state was impinging on his credibility before his contractors.

"I heard that the Presidency and the Minister of Finance who is the Coordinating Minister of the Economy are aggrieved that the National Assembly has refused to entertain or legislate on the supplementary budget, the National Assembly is saying it has passed the budget.

"My own fear remains how to address the challenges facing Edo state. The ministry of finance has not released my money in full. From January till now more than N1.8 billion appropriated to Edo is being delayed by Abuja that is affecting my credibility as a governor to fulfill my commitments to my contractors.

"If as a governor I can't get my statutory allocation on the basis of the rule of law, I am aggrieved so if Public Complaint Commission can help me. If we don't manage the system well, we are going to lose credibility before the people."

He commended the FCT Commissioner of the PCC, Chief Obunike Ohaegbu for the reformations that he had brought to the commission and called on the relevant authorities to support the commission in order to deliver on its mandate.


WATCH: Oshiomole is “following God’s law with death sentence”

Jul 6, 2013

Edo governor Adams Oshiomhole is unrepentant, and has come out to publicly defend the signing of the death warrants on two armed robbers that were condemned to death in his state recently.

He also warned residents of the state that his administration will not fail to clamp down on anyone found culpable of any crime – or hesitate to carry out capital punishment.

He was speaking at a gathering organised by the Public Complaints Commission of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The ostensible aim of the gathering was to examine the role of the commission in the nation’s democracy.

However, the discussion shifted to issues of human rights in Nigeria and the European Union Head of Delegation; David Macrae used the event to reiterate the European Union’s position that the death penalty should be abolished in the country’s criminal justice system.

The Edo governor did not take this lying down. He did not mince words to warn would-be offenders that the government of Edo state would not fail to hand down the appropriate punishment to offenders.

Oshiomole, who incurred global outrage for executing a capital sentence on four convicts, said that “God created heaven and hell side by side to keep repentant in heaven and permanently keep the unrepentant in hell fire.”

Fiery words if you ask us, for the whole story, watch the video.


I am Following God’s Law With Death Sentence Oshiomhole Says

The governor of Edo State; Adams Oshiomhole has defended the signing of the death warrants on two armed robbers that were condemned to death in Edo state recently.

He warned citizens in the state that his administration will not fail to hand down the capital punishment to anyone found culpable.

He was speaking at a gathering organised by the Public Complaints Commission of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) where Nigerians from different walks of life gathered to examine the role of the commission in the nation’s democracy.

The Governor who incurred global outrage for passing the capital sentence on four convicts in state explained that God created heaven and hell side by side to keep repentants in heaven and permanently keep the unrepentant in hell fire.

However discussion shifted to issues of human rights in Nigeria and the European Union Head of Delegation; David Macrae used the event as an avenue to speak on the European Union’s perception of human rights in Nigeria, one of which is the need for the country to abolish the death penalty in its criminal justice system.

This suggestion however, was not acceptable to the governor of Edo state who recently signed the death warrants for two condemned criminals. He did not mince words to warn would-be offenders that the government of Edo state will not fail to hand down the appropriate punishment to offenders.

Speaking on the Public Complaints Commission, governor Oshiomhole was of the opinion that prosecutor powers should be granted to the commission, thus,making them more effective.

PLEASE WATCH THIS VIDEO TO SEE ADAMS OSHIOMHOLE GIVING HIS DEFENSE OF THE DEATH PENALTY:

I am Following God's Law With Death Sentence Oshiomhole Says
Published on Jul 4, 2013
The governor of Edo State; Adams Oshiomhole has defended the signing of the death warrants on two armed robbers that were condemned to death in Edo state recently. He was speaking at a gathering organised by the Public Complaints Commission of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) where Nigerians from different walks of life gathered to examine the role of the commission in the nation's democracy. The Governor who incurred global outrage for passing the capital sentence on four convicts in state explained that God created heaven and hell side by side to keep repentants in heaven and permanently keep the unrepentatnt in hell fire. For more information log on to www.channelstv.com.


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