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Fair Play Africa: Mandela Dies At 95 : Mandela Dies At 95 Madiba Nelson Mandela, Thursday night succumbed to the cold hands of death after months of medical battles to keep hi...

Mandela Dies At 95 Madiba Nelson Mandela, Thursday night succumbed to the cold hands of death after months of medical battles to keep him alive. At 95, Mandela lived a fulfilled life filled with struggles for his native country's march to democracy. He fought for an equitable society and inspired many across the world. He was a most incredible leader the world over who gave series of amazing gifts to the global community. The integrity and the physical size of Madiba as well as his strong determination brought down the apartheid structures hoisted upon his native South Africa. Indeed, not just South Africa, the world has lost a legendary non violent and anti apartheid leader who inspired many across the world.  Mandela, joint winner of 1993 Nobel Peace Prize, was born on July 18, 1918. He was South African President from 1994 to 1999 after spending 27 years in prison. He refused to hate and overcame all forms of hatred earning the respect of the world in t...

Fair Play Africa: Terrorism: Court Frees Two Lebanese, Jails one for... : A Federal High Court siting in Abuja on friday discharged and acquitted two Lebanese, Mr. Mustapha Fawaz and Mr. Abdullahi Thahini alongsid...

A Federal High Court siting in Abuja on friday discharged and acquitted two Lebanese, Mr. Mustapha Fawaz and Mr. Abdullahi Thahini alongside their companies; Amigo Supermarket and Wonderland Amusement Park, both in Abuja of any complicity in an amended 16 counts charge of terrorism related offences brought against them by the Department of State Security Service. However, their 59 years old fellow citizen and co accused, Mr. Tahal Roda, was found guilty in five out of the 16 counts which relate to conspiracy and carry life sentence each. The Lebanese were charged for being members of Hezbollah military wing who allegedly, agreed to receive training in preparation to engage in the commission of a terrorist act. They were also accused to have knowingly permitted a meeting connected with an act of terrorism to be held in the premises of Amigo Supermarket and Wonderland Amusement Park and Resort.  Mr. Thahini was accused of being the coordinator of Hezbollah in...

Umar's long walk to life in prison!

Mustapher Umar arriving the court premises for his sentencing!

Fair Play Africa: ThisDay Newspapers Bomber: Jailed For Life : Mustapha Umar, a self confessed Boko Haram member arrested and tried before a Federal High Court siting in Abuja in connection wIth the 26th...

Mustapha Umar, a self confessed Boko Haram member arrested and tried before a Federal High Court siting in Abuja in connection wIth the 26th April, 2012 bombing of SOJ Plaza in Kaduna state occupied by ThisDay, The Moment and The Sun Newspapers, was on Friday found guilty of the one count charge of terrorism and sentenced for life. The convicted terrorist was alleged to have driven a white Honda Academy car with registration number AL 306 MKA with improvised explosives devices into the premises of SOJ plaza with the intention to detonate improvised explosive devices within the premises.  The incident claimed the lives of three persons and caused several degrees of injuries on others. The convict had pleaded not guilty during his trial but the court placed heavy reliance on his recorded interview which he granted to investigators during interrogations where he claimed to be a member of the deadly Islamic fundamentalist group, Boko Haram, as well as the testimonies of ten witnesses c...

Fair Play Africa: Chuba Okadigbo's Family Estate War : An Abuja High Court sitting in Maitama has fixed 4th February, 2014 to deliver judgment in a  family dispute over the management of the as...

An Abuja High Court sitting in Maitama has fixed 4th February, 2014 to deliver judgment in a  family dispute over the management of the assets of the late former Senate President, Chuba Okadigbo, who died over 10 years ago. Justice Folashade Ojo fixed the date after parties adopted their written addresses. Okadigbo's eldest son, Chaka and his brother Osagyefor, are asking the court to among others, to declare that the deceased's widow, Senator Margery,  was not a beneficiary of the intestate estate of her late husband. They also want the court to declare that Mrs Okadigbo was not entitled to share, with the deceased's children, in the assets and properties of the late Senate president and urged the court to amend the letters of administration granted Senator Margery and his other son; Pharaoh, by substituting Pharoah for Chaka as co-administrator with the widow. The late former Senate President's sons further urged the court to direct Margery and pharo...

Fair Play Africa: Nigeria Rules The World : NIGERIA RULES THE WORLD!!! Nigeria's Golden Eaglets, Friday night, emerged the most successful team in FIFA U-17 World Cup histor...

NIGERIA RULES THE WORLD!!! Nigeria's Golden Eaglets, Friday night, emerged the most successful team in FIFA U-17 World Cup history winning the championship a record four times since the commencement of the championship. The fourth victory came following a 3-0 win over defending champions, Mexico, at the Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.  The United Arab Emirate. The final, a rematch of the previous 6-1 win which the Golden Eaglets inflicted on the defending champions  in Group F play. Today's victory sees the Golden Eaglets beating the records of Brazil. Mexico kept the ball for a full two minutes at the start of the game, moving it around well and making the Nigerians chase. El Tri even managed the first chance on goal after six minutes. Osvaldo Rodriguez crossed from the left, but Alejandro Diaz couldn’t keep his close-range effort the right side of the post. Two minutes on and Ivan Ochoa – who scored twice in the semi-final win over A...

Fair Play Africa: Anambra Polls: Supreme Court Affirms Tony Nwoye As... : Anambra Polls: Supreme Court Affirms Tony Nwoye As PDP Candidate, Shuts Out Andy Uba Nnamdi Felix / Abuja Legal battle over the authenti...

Anambra Polls: Supreme Court Affirms Tony Nwoye As PDP Candidate, Shuts Out Andy Uba Nnamdi Felix / Abuja Legal battle over the authentic candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the 16th November governorship electionin Anambra state, was on Monday resolved by Nigeria's Supreme Court siting in Abuja which affirmed the candidacy of Mr. Tony Nwoye as  the validly nominated candidate of the crisis ridden party. Before delivering its judgment on the appeal brought before the court by Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu where he challenged the decision of a Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt which upturned a favourable judgment he obtained at a Federal High Court, also in Port Harcourt, which had earlier sacked Nwoye from flying the party's flag on the ground that he (Nwoye) did not pay his tax as and when due and declared Ukachukwu the party's candidate, the apex court declined to hear a motion brought by another gubernatorial aspirant in the party, Senator Andy Uba, wher...

Fair Play Africa: Supreme Court Stops PDP Campaign Flag-off In Anamb... : Supreme Court Stops PDP Campaign Flag-off In Anambra

Fair Play Africa: Supreme Court Fixes Judgment Date For  Okorocha's ... : Supreme Court Fixes Judgment Date For  Okorocha's Appeal Nnamdi Felix / Abuja The Supreme Court has fixed 24th January, 2014 to deli...

Supreme Court Fixes Judgment Date For  Okorocha's Appeal Nnamdi Felix / Abuja The Supreme Court has fixed 24th January, 2014 to deliver judgment in an appeal filed by Imo state Governor Rochas Okorocha, challenging the decision of an Appeal Court in Owerri, which joined former governor of the state, Chief Ikedi Ohakim, in an appeal instituted by Senator Ifeanyi Ararume, the candidate of then Action Congress of Nigeria in the governorship election held in the state in 2011. Senator Ararume is challenging the May 6th, 2011 supplementary elections conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission which ushered in Okorocha as the governor of state. Proceedings at the court was disrupted by conflicting appearance by different lawyers who claimed to have been briefed by different persons claiming to be the national. Chairman of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA,  under which platform Okorocha won the election before defecting to the All Progressive Congress. ...

Supreme Court Stops PDP Campaign Flag-off In Anambra Nnamdi Felix / Abuja The Supreme Court on Thursday in Abuja barred the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, from going ahead with its flag off campaign activities for Mr. Tony Nwoye, the party's candidate for the  forthcoming governorship election in Anambra state, an event scheduled to hold on Saturday. The apex court also warned the party and its national officials not to do anything between now and Monday,  4th November, that will be prejudicial to the scheduled hearing of an appeal brought before it by Mr. Nicholas Ukachukwu who is challenging his removal as the party's candidate for the election by a Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt, Rivers state. The Vice President, Arc. Namadi Sambo is billed to lead the national leadership of the PDP to the flag off campaign in the state ahead of the governorship election which is to take place on Saturday, 16th November. The court's directives followed an undertaking it extra...

The FCT Administration on Saturday sealed off the Adamawa state Governor's Lodge in the Maitama District of the Federal Capital City for an alleged abuse of the Abuja Master Plan. The minister noted that all Governor's Lodges in Abuja were enshrined in the Abuja master plan to be for residential purposes and not for political party secretariat as the Adamawa state Governor's Lodge is currently being used. "The Governor's Lodge as it is today, is being used as a Political Party Office thereby negating the spirit of urban planning and causing nuisance and disturbance on the residents dwelling in that area of the city as well as inflicting undue pressure on the infrastructure and services therein, contrary to the principles of the Abuja Master Plan" the minister stated. The minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, further stated that the FCT Administration will not rest on its oars until the entire 250 square kilometers of the Federal Capital City is rid of ...

Nnamdi Felix / Abuja Trial of suspected mastermind of the 2011 Christmas Day bombing of St. Theresa's Catholic church in Madala, Niger state, Mr. Kabiru Umar, also known as Kabiru Sokoto, came to its conclusion with his lawyer, Mr. Sheriff Okoh making a last ditch effort to save his life. At the adoption of their defence on Monday, Mr. Okoh urged the court to discharge and acquit his client of all counts of the terrorism charge slammed against Kabiru Sokoto on the ground that documents tendered by the State Security Service, SSS, purported to have been a confessional statement of his client as well as those of investigators who investigated the matter were all os suspicious origin having emanated and authored by one man, the Investigation Police Officer who investigated the matter. The defence attorney contended that Kabiru Sokoto who was arrested on the 14th of January, 2012 left the custody of the Police on the 15th of January after being taken to his home at Abaj...

CJN Boosts Fight Against Terrorism  Nnamdi Felix / Abuja  Nigeria's fight against terrorism received a boost following the signing into law of a new fast track practice direction by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice  Aloma Mukhtar . The new practice direction allows Nigeria's Supreme Court to dispense with appeals bordering on trial for terrorism, kidnapping, rape, corruption and money laundering expeditiously.  The Chief Registrar of the apex court, Mr. Sunday Olorundahunsi disclosed on Thursday in Abuja while addressing judiciary correspondents at a workshop on the Role of the Media in the Fight Against Terrorism organized by the Abuja Chapter of the National Association of Judiciary Correspondents, NAJUC.  The Chief Registrar stated that the CJN was working with Chief judges of states' high courts, the Abuja High Court, the Federal High Court and the presiding justices of the various divisions of the Court of Appeal to put in place an effici...

By Fareed Zakaria The best commencement speech I ever read was by the humorist Art Buchwald. He was brief, saying simply, “Remember, we are leaving you a perfect world. Don’t screw it up.” You are not going to hear that message much these days. Instead, you’re likely to hear that we are living through grim economic times, that the graduates are entering the slowest recovery since the Great Depression. The worries are not just economic. Ever since 9/11, we have lived in an age of terror, and our lives remain altered by the fears of future attacks and a future of new threats and dangers. Then there are larger concerns that you hear about: The Earth is warming; we’re running out of water and other vital resources; we have a billion people on the globe trapped in terrible poverty. So, I want to sketch out for you, perhaps with a little bit of historical context, the world as I see it. The world we live in is, first of all, at peace — profoundly at peace. The richest countries of the wo...

The Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offenses Commission, ICPC, on Thursday arraigned Mr. David Iornem before a Federal High Court in Abuja over an alleged operation of an illegal university. According to the three count charge, Iornem was accused to have fraudulently collected $17,300 from three different persons to secure admission into the University. Some of those who fell victim to the suspect were the former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, Akinkiotu Albert Oluwatoyin and Jamilu Rabiu Sani. He pleaded not guilty to the three counts when they were read to him in the court. Justice A. R Mohammed granted the suspect bail following the submission made by ICPC’s lawyer, who averred that the commission is not in the habit of opposing bail in a matter like that. David Iornem was admitted to bail in the sum of N100,000 with one surety in like sum who must be a civil servant in the employment of the federal govern...

As the controversy generated at Nigeria' upper legislature over the resolution retaining section 29 (4) (b) which assumes any married woman, irrespective of her age, to be "of full age" rages, the Plateau Police Command on Wednesday in Jos, said it had arrested a 17-year-old minor who allegedly killed her husband over his sexual demands. The minor allegedly killed Lawal Bala, 26, in his sleep on their matrimonial bed on July 8. The minor, who spoke from the police custody, told newsmen that Bala was sleeping with her six times in a day. "I kept complaining to him that I could not stand his sexual urge but he refused to listen to my plea; no family member was ready to help me, so I did what I did" She said that she regretted killing him, but that she thought that was the only option left for her to free herself from the pains she was passing through. According to her, I have realized my mistake and have repented of my sin; all I want is for the a...

Nigerian prosecutors on Monday widened charges against three Lebanese nationals accused of links to Hezbollah as their trial began with access to the courtroom restricted and the identities of witnesses concealed. Mustapha Fawaz, 49, Abdallah Thahini, 48, and Talal Ahmad Roda, 51, have been accused of having ties to the powerful Lebanese Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah and plotting attacks against Western and Israeli targets in Nigeria. Prosecutors brought fresh charges related to money-laundering and illegal importation of goods among crimes. These came in addition to the terrorism-related offences filed last month after a massive supply of weapons was found at a business in the capital Abuja and a private home in the northern city of Kano. “We want to be sure that all elements of every offence disclosed by the investigation is properly before the court,” prosecutor Simon Egede said. Judge Adeniyi Adetokunbo Ademola agreed to a prosecution request to restrict access to ...

Nigeria’s National Judicial Council on Monday announced the compulsory retirement of the Acting Chief Judge of Abia state, Justice Shadrack O.E. Nwanosike over the falsification of his date of birth. The council found that Nwanosike falsified his date of birth which invariably affected his retirement age and ordered him to embark on a compulsory retirement. The council, in a press release signed by Mr. Soji Oye, the Acting Director of Information and made available to newsmen in Abuja, stated that the compulsory retirement slammed on the Abia state Acting Chief Judge was part of the recommendation of the council at its meeting presided by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar, held on 17th & 18th July. The Council during the meeting also considered and deliberated on the Report of its Committee on Performance Evaluation of Judicial Officers of the Superior Courts of Record in the Federation at the end of which it constituted a five-man Committee ...

Reprieve came the way of aggrieved deregistered political parties in Nigeria as Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court on Monday nullified the deregistration of political parties by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. The court also declared section 78 (7) (ii) of the Electoral Act 2010, as amended, which said parties must win seats in the state and national assembly election as null and void. These were contained in the court’s judgment in a suit filed by Pastor Chris Okotie led Fresh Democratic Party on which platform the controversial pastor contested the Presidential election in 2011. Okotie and his party had approached the court seeking for a declaration that section 78 (7) (ii) of the Electoral Act, 2010 is unconstitutional, invalid, null and void to the extent that if offends the provisions of section 40 and sections 221-229 of the 1999 Constitution. They asked the court to hold that INEC cannot deregister the party except in accordance...

Yerima's Ambition To Constitutionalise under-Age Marriage. The Senate has asked groups angered by the marriage of its minority leader, Ahmed Yerima, to a 13-year-old Egyptian girl to go to court rather than the Senate for a redress. The Senate spokesman, Ayogu Eze, said this following protests at the Senate by female senators and a coalition of Nigerian women’s groups. The Zamfara State politician was accused of marrying a minor – the 13-year-old daughter of his Egyptian driver. However, the senate spokesman said the accused senator had not broken any rules of the Senate with his marriage to the child. Shortly before the Senate began plenary, members went into a closed-door session in anticipation of a petition that Ufot Ekaette (PDP, Cross River State), leader of the women senators, planned to present against Ahmed Yerima (PDP, Zamfara State). During the session, the Senate leadership stopped Ms. Ekeate’s petition. While briefing the media outside the chambers, Mr...

Nnamdi Felix / Abuja::::: Justice Abdul Kafarati of Nigeria’s Federal High Court siting in Abuja on Thursday restrained the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, the Inspector General of Police, IGP, as well as the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, from arresting or moving against the managing director of Capital Oil and Gas Industries Limited, Mr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah, in respect of an alleged petroleum subsidy fraud. The Anambra state gubernatorial aspirant under the platform of Labour Party had dragged the anti graft agency, the Inspector General of Police as well as the Attorney General of Police before the court following moves by the authorities to arrest and prosecute him over an alleged petroleum subsidy scam. The court faulted an invitation sent to Mr. Ubah by the EFCC and granted an order restraining the commission, the Inspector General of Police and the Attorney General of the Federation from moving against the Ubah and his company over the subsidy i...

Nnamdi Felix / Abuja::::::::::::: Arrangements for the forthcoming special convention of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, were on Thursday halted by an Abuja High Court which restrained the party from proceeding to conduct the planned convention. Justice Suleiman Belgore, ordered the PDP to “allow sanity to reign” and to refrain from proceeding with the conduct or convocation of any form of convention “whether special or ordinary,” for the purpose of electing any officer into the office of the PDP pending the determination of a suit filed by some aggrieved members of the party. The court’s orders came through a ruling on an interlocutory application by some aggrieved party members who raised issues against the party’s decision to appoint some people to act in the place of members of the party’s National Working Committee, NWC, who resigned midway into the case that challenged the process of their election. Justice Belgore however refused to nullify the appointment of the ...

: Nnamdi Felix / Abuja:::::: The end of the ongoing legal tackles over the leadership crisis rocking the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, NGF, appears to be in sight following an application filed by Lagos state governor, Babatunde Fashola, seeking to discontinue the matter. Governor Fashola, through his legal team, filed a notice of discontinuance in the suit he instituted at an Abuja High Court, wherein he sought to restrain Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau state from parading himself as the chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum. At the resumption of proceedings in the matter Wednesday, Governor Fashola’s lawyer, Mr Femi Falana, a senior advocate of Nigeria, informed the court that a notice of discontinuance dated 16th of July but filed on the 17th has been served on the defendants. However, Mr. Tayo Oyetibo, also a senior advocate of Nigeria, representing one of the defendants in the matter, Mr Osaro Onaiwu, the factional Sole Administrator of the NGF under Jang, told the...

By Nnamdi Felix / Abuja An Abuja high court has summoned President Goodluck Jonathan to appear and give evidence in the on going trial of two journalists working with Leadership Newspapers who are standing trial for allegedly forging a presidential directives' bromide published in the newspaper on April 3, 2013. The presiding judge, Justice Usman Musale issued the summons; subpoena ad testificandum, dated July 15, 2013 to the President and Commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the federal republic of Nigeria requesting him to come to court with documents to give evidence in the matter. The President is to be served with the subpoena through the Federal Ministry of Justice. The subpoena requested the president to appear before the court from day to day until the cause is tried, to give evidence on behalf of the accused persons and also to bring with him and produce at the time and aforesaid the purportedly forged document titled 'presidential directive' h...

By Akin Kuponiyi An Appeal Court sitting in Igbosere, Lagos, Southwest, Nigeria has discharged and acquitted Major Hamzat Al-Mustapha, the former chief security officer to the late General Sani Abacha  of conspiracy to murder Alhaja Kudirat Abiola. In a lead judgment read by Justice Rita Pemu and agreed by two other judges Aminat Augie and Fatimah Akinbanmi, the Court of Appeal said the case was not properly investigated and that prosecution failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt. The prosecution listed 12 potential witnesses but managed to call only four witnesses. The first prosecution witness was Dr Ore Falomo, the second is Sergeant Barnabas Jabila Mshiela aka Sergeant Rogers. The  third one is Dagama Katako, while a retired police officer, Ahmed Fari Yusuf is the fourth witness. In assessment of the verdict of the lower court, the appellant court said the lower court did not evaluate properly the evidence brought before it. The appelate Court aver...

Published by pmnews on Thursday, 4th July, 2013:::::By Nnamdi Felix:::: The Federal Judicial Service Commission, FJSC, has taken disciplinary action against six judiciary workers implicated in the leakage of an undelivered judgment in a Supreme Court case with reference number; SC 179/2013 involving controversial Anambra state politician, Senator Alphonsus Uba Igbeke Vs Lady Margery Okadigbo and 3 others. The Council at its meeting held last Tuesday approved the dismissal of the judiciary workers over their embarrassing conduct. It would be recalled that the yet to be delivered judgment of the apex court on the matter was widely advertised in the media by senator Igbeke up till the 31st of May when he judgment was delivered. He lost the battle for the senatorial seat of Anambra South at the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria via that decision. According to a press release circulated by Mr. Sunday Sunday Olorundahunsi, the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court, the ...

A Nigerian Federal High Court siting in Abuja on Monday restrained Nigerian Presidents from appointing service chiefs without the approval of the Senate. The decision of the court was delivered in a suit instituted by Mr. Festus Keyamo in 2008 wherein he challenged the powers of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to appoint military service chiefs of the federation without the approval of the Nigerian senate, an action the court, presided over by Justice Adamu Bello, had declared unconstitutional, illegal, null and void and restrained the President from further appointing them without the approval of the Senate. Keyamo had approached the court following the appointment of service chiefs by late President Umar Musa Yar’Adua within his first year of assuming leadership of the country after his election at the 2007 Presidential election. The human rights lawyer had dragged the Attorney General and Minister of Justice alongside all the service chiefs before the c...

Nnamdi Felix / Abuja:::::: Thirteen years after he was first docked before the Code of Conduct Tribunal on an alleged abuse of office and non declaration of assets, the trial of former Nigerian Federal Capital Territory Minister, Gen Jeremiah Useni (Rtd), resumed Tuesday before the conduct tribunal. The retired General was alleged to have used his office as the Abuja Minister, to acquire mind boggling landed properties in choice location of the Abuja metroplis. He was the minister of the FCT during the regime of late maximum dictator, General Sani Abacha, under whose regime Nigeria’s commonwealth was personalised and looted with reckless abandon. Useni was also alleged to have failed to declare his assets on assumption of office as well as on leaving office as the FCT minister. The retired General however, did not appear in person as statutorily required in criminal proceedings, and had never appeared before the court at anytime within the thirteen years the matter had l...

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL: Nigeria: Man dragged to the gallows will now be executed by firing squad A death row prisoner in Nigeria is due to be executed by firing squad later this week after prison authorities dragged him to the gallows where they hanged four other men on Monday night, Amnesty International has learned. They were the first known executions in the country since 2006. Benin Prison authorities in Edo state had planned to hang the man along with the four others, but halted his execution after they realized his death sentence, imposed by a military tribunal, required that a firing squad carry it out. Amnesty International understands that neither the prisoners nor their families were told of the executions in advance. Secret executions, where prisoners, families and lawyers are not informed beforehand, violate international standards on the use of the death penalty. “Cruel and inhumane do not even begin to describe the nightmare situation facing this man – and...

UK Immigration - Visa Bonds: In response to speculation in the press regarding the possible implementation of ‘visa bonds’ for Nigerian visa applicants to the UK, High Commissioner Dr Andrew Pocock met with Foreign Minister Ashiru on 25 June. Following that meeting High Commissioner Dr Andrew Pocock said: I welcome the chance to set out the facts on so called “visa bonds.” The British Government has announced that it intends to undertake a very small scale trial of the use of financial bonds as a way of tackling abuse in the immigration system (which occurs when some people overstay their visa terms). The details of a pilot scheme are still being worked out. No final decision has been made. If the pilot were to go ahead in Nigeria it would affect only a very small number of the highest risk visitors. The vast majority would not be required to pay a bond. Those paying bonds would receive the bond back, if they abided by the terms of their visa. Let me put this in ...

: By Ruben Navarrette: If I may speak for some of the dads who have spoken to me over time, this year, our kids can skip the ties, golf clubs and fishing poles. What many of us really want for Father's Day is an attitude adjustment for our kids. There's a story that a friend shared a few months ago that really made an impression on me -- as it did a roomful of other middle-aged parents who are struggling with raising their toddlers or teenagers. One day, my friend said, he walked into his house and casually told his teenage son that he needed some help with some minor chore outside. The son, who had been playing video games, was clearly bothered. Exasperated, he said, "Dad, whenever you ask me to do stuff like this, it's just such an inconvenience." Showing more restraint than I would have at that moment, my friend calmly apologized to his son for disturbing him. Then he picked up the phone, and fired his landscaper. Next, my friend sat down at the ...