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“Do not criminalise ethnicity”-APC

Confidence Okwuchi
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By Aanya Igomu,Abuja

Nigeria’s governing party, the All Progressives Congress, APC has called on Nigerians to desist from criminalising ethnicity.

The Secretary, APC Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, Senator John Akpan Udoedeghe made the call in a press statement released in Abuja.

The party also urged Nigerians to support the newly appointed service chief as they assume office.

The governing party expressed confidence in the new service chiefs to perform their jobs of securing the nation.

“We are confident that the new service chiefs will consolidate on the remarkable achievements of their predecessors in keeping the country safe and peaceful.

“We call for public support for the new service chiefs as they perform their constitutional roles of protecting our country’s territorial integrity and tackle emerging security threats. We also urge increased synergy among the armed forces in achieving these tasks.” the statement read.

The APC stated that the recent divisive statements in the media on security would have an opposite effect in securing the nation.

“Recent incidents in the country have triggered quite divisive rhetoric in some quarters. It is counterproductive and dangerous to national security when we put ethnic spins to issues affecting us. In tackling security threats, we should criminalise crime, not ethnicity.

“As a nation, our strength remains in our diversity and we should continue to forge unity in that diversity. We urge peaceful coexistence and mutual understanding among Nigerians, irrespective of the part of the country we chose to live and work” APC said.

 

Confidence Okwuchi

UN Under Secretary visits Borno State

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By Abubakar Mohammed, Maiduguri

The United Nations under Secretary-General for Safety and Security, Mr. Gilles Michaud is in Borno State to assess the humanitarian activities of agencies under the UN and to spot humanitarian needs.

During the visit to Governor Zulum at the government house in Maiduguri,  Gilles said Governor Zulum had built a high reputation, which he said many people in the UN were discussing amongst themselves.

“I have heard alot of good things about you, your reputation precedes you. We see the proactive vision that you execute here in Borno State. You can count on our continued support (at the UN) for your efforts,” Mr Gilles said.

He explained that his visit was to oversee humanitarian activities undertaken by agencies of the UN in different parts of Borno State, in line with needs of persons affected by insurgency crisis.

Similarly Governor Zulum thanked the Under Secretary for his visit and praised the UN for the far reaching contributions of its agencies.

Zulum, however raised concern on issues of accountability by some of the NGOs operating in the state.

“There are alot of leakages in the system, we are not getting maximum benefit. The volume of money that has been sunk to the entire northeast by donor partners in the last ten years can resolve most of our problems.

“We need to know who are working and where they are coming from….but they don’t want us to check them. There are hundreds of INGOs, some of them are not genuine. We need to tame down and know exactly who are the right ones,” the Governor said.

He further said that they appreciate the support from all partners that it was unfortunate some of the partners were working on their own without recourse to the government and the people.

“Coordination is very important, you can’t solve the problem you do not understand, we need to work together. We know our problem better than anyone”.

“There are number of good humanitarian actors especially the UN agencies like UNDP, the UNICEF, UNHCR and host of other development partners like the EU,” Governor Zulum said.

Resettlement Drive
He spoke about his administration’s resettlement drive, highlighting areas the state government and UN can collaborate to ensure safe and dignified return of internally displaced persons back to their communities.

“We want to see that our people earn their means of livelihood, we have been receiving tremendous humanitarian support, but is not sustainable. Keeping them in the IDPs camp will expose the younger ones available for recruitment by the insurgents,” Governor Zulum added.

 

Confidence Okwuchi

Minister reiterates commitment to road transport transformation

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By Shiktra Shalangwa, Abuja

The Nigerian Minister of state for Transportation, Senator Gbemisola Saraki, has reiterated commitment to the transformation of the road sub-sector through partnership with stakeholders.

Ms Saraki said this when a delegation of the National Freight Hauliers Association, NFHA paid her a courtesy visit  in Abuja.

The Minister said that the sector would move forward only through partnership with relevant stakeholders.

“The Ministry is very concerned about the state of road transportation in this country and we are trying to do something about it. But definitely we cannot do it alone, so the ministry, in partnership with other operators in the field, is going to make sure that both sector are transformed.  

“Every sector in the road transportation is being looked at because we want to be able to compete globally and that means we must do things right and maintain standards to ensure that Nigeria is where its supposed to be,” the minister explained.

The Minister was represented by the Director of Road Transport and Mass Transit Administration, Mrs Esther Ehigie.

Earlier, Mr Jackson Bent, the Natonal President of  NHFA had urged the Nigerian government to fish out miscreants who run illegal transport unions to defraud unsuspecting transporters and motorists.

Mr Bent, who decried the activities of the miscreants, said it has led to multiple taxation in the transport sector, as well as hike in commuter fare and prices of goods.

“Our associations strongly believe that with the ministry of transport, its effort to ensure that freight haulage is truly professionalise, stakeholders are discipline, united, patriotic, to endeavour to synergies with ministry and relevant agencies to impact the nation.

“So as to avoid proliferation of same association, we deem it fit to advise the federal ministry of transport to liaise with minister of labour and productivity and the registrar general of  CAC, for careful transparent guide against mushroom bodies coming up as lorry unions, pickup  unions, and the likes, having to do with freight haulage.

“This is necessary because such units registration would not help to achieve model success in the industry and it will not help the expected haulage transportation growth of the economy, it will only lead to hike in prices to the end users,” Mr Brent explained.

 

Confidence Okwuchi

President Buhari inaugurates committee to address plight of out-of- school children

Dominica Ijeoma Nwabufo
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President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development to coordinate and lead the deployment of a National Plan to address the issue of out-of-school children in the country.

Inaugurating the 18-member Presidential Steering Committee on Alternate School Programme (ASP) co-chaired by the Ministers of Humanitarian Affairs and Education, the President said it was unacceptable to see children abandoning formal school to engage in menial jobs and child labour in the markets, streets and workshops.

President Buhari said the National Plan to be deployed by the Federal Government, through the Humanitarian Affairs Ministry, would ensure a holistic and comprehensive inclusiveness of appropriate basic education for vulnerable children.

‘‘To commence this special education initiative, emphasis should be given to first provide a limited scope of subjects in Mathematics, English language, Basic Science and Social studies. Gradually, the initiative will be scaled up to ensure the acquisition of relevant technical skills in the process that can enable the beneficiaries to participate in gainful economic activities,’’ he said.

President Buhari noted that in view of ‘‘some United Nations agencies that report a disturbing level of out of school children estimated at 13 million’’, the Humanitarian Affairs Ministry had identified the critical need to further address literacy inclusiveness, especially among these vulnerable children.

‘‘While we continue to sustain our efforts on providing formal and conventional education through the activities of the Universal Basic Education Commission under the Federal Ministry of Education, it is still a common sight to notice children abandoning formal school to become apprentices in shops, workshops and markets, whilst many others choose to loiter at markets, become cart pushers and hawkers. ‘‘These are not acceptable,’’ he said.

Better Nigeria

The President also used the occasion to reiterate the commitment of the Federal Government to deal with key challenges of absolute poverty and propel Nigeria and Nigerians to a better way of life and development.

Reviewing the administration’s programmes on poverty eradication, President Buhari expressed delight that many countries are now admiring and imitating Nigeria’s social investment programmes as an effective strategy in the fight against poverty.

‘‘In our first term, many programs and projects based on firm policies were commenced with the fight against poverty being the main goal.

‘‘The National Social Investment Program (NSIP) that includes the conditional cash transfer, N-Power, National Home-Grown School feeding Program and The Government Enterprise and Empowerment programs are today gaining admiration and imitation by many countries as an effective strategy.

‘‘Based on the need to sustain these efforts, we have launched the policy of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty by 2030 at the beginning of our second term in 2019 to further consolidate the gains of the NSIPs through effective coordination and institutionalization.

‘‘This led to the creation of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development with the mandate to ensure full coordination of all poverty eradication efforts of Government for enhanced impact,’’ he said.

Other members of the Presidential Steering Committee on ASP are Chairman, Northern Governors’ Forum, Minister of State, Budget and National Planning, Minister of State, Education, Senior Special Assistant to the President, Sustainable Development Goals, Executive Secretary, Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Director General, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and the National President, Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON).

Others are Representative, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO),  Representative, United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), Representative, Global Partnership for Education, Chair, Private Sector Advisory Group – SDGs, Chair, Civil Society Coalition on Sustainable Development, Chair, Senate Committee on Basic Education, Chair, House Committee on Basic Education, Hon. Dr. Shehu Balarabe Kakale, while the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development will serve as Secretary.

President Buhari listed the four Terms of Reference of the Committee as follows:

Ø Refine and focus the vision of the initiative

Ø Ensure engagement and effective uptake of the ASP initiative across the country

Ø Review and approve all work, implementation plan, expected deliverables, feedbacks and reports as proposed

Ø Undertake any other task that can enhance the effective delivery of the initiative by the Ministry.

The President implored all members of the committee to take this assignment with the utmost seriousness, saying ‘‘the future of our young people is at stake.’’

In her remarks, Minister for Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, said the success of the programme “will be a turning point in our nation’s development history as it will accelerate our drive towards sustainable development.”

She added: ‘‘it is important to note that this success extends far beyond attaining Quality Education, Goal 4 of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. It also directly impacts SDG 1, No Poverty, as it will provide better future outcomes for our children.”

The Minister also said the success would impact SDG Goals 2, 5, 8, 10, and 17.

 

 

Party Chieftain tasks Nigerian Media on fair reporting

Dominica Ijeoma Nwabufo
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A chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Abdullahi Enilobo, has urged the media to always verify facts and publish the truth. He stated this in Lagos, Southwest Nigeria, during a media briefing held against the background of fake news prevalence in the Media space.

“Before you people fly any information, you must ensure that they are things that have substance that can be backed up with facts and evidences”, he said.

Nigeria is currently battling to contain the scourge of fake news, with the government proposing a regulation of the social media where most of the misinformation take place.

Enilobo explained that the media is one the professions that is surrounded by intelligent individuals, and as such, must help sanitise the information space through proper fact-checking and evidence-based reporting of issues and events.

“It’s not just helping and assisting to disseminate information, I encourage you to also fine-tune and do proper research and fact-checking before publishing. Whatever cannot be substantiated should be dropped.

“Unfortunately, what I discovered now is that the Media too is assisting in disseminating false information, and this spreads very fast. We must put correction to this or else our country will continue to degenerate, and the consequences will still bounce back to the Media,” he said.

He advised Media professionals to distinct themselves from the issues and events they cover in order to maintain and sustain their integrity.

Enilobo is the organising Secretary of the APC in Lagos State and the party leader in the Alimosho Federal Constituency.

 

Post Endsars: Oyo judicial panel holds inaugural sitting

Dominica Ijeoma Nwabufo
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The Oyo State Judicial Panel of Inquiry into Police brutality held its inaugural sitting on Tuesday, in Ibadan, the State capital.

At the sitting, the Chairman of the Panel, a former Chief Judge of the State, Justice Badejoko Adeniji, urged the State Police Command to cooperate with the Panel to deliver on its mandate and cautioned everyone who would be appearing before it to be mindful of the supremacy of the law.

The Chairman made the appeal due to the absence of the Police at the inaugural sitting of the Panel which held at the House of Chiefs, Oyo State House of Assembly Complex, Agodi, Secretariat, Ibadan.

Adeniji expressed optimism that the new Commissioner of Police in the State, Ngozi Onadeko, as a lover of peace, would be very cooperative with the Panel to deliver on its assignment, adding that the Panel would write the Commissioner officially, while also not ruling out the possibility of a visit, to intimate the Command on the importance of the Panel and the assignment before it.

At the inaugural sitting, ten petitioners were called. Five of the cases were against ‘Unknown hoodlums’ while the other five were against the Nigerian Police.

Some of the Police stations which came up in the petitions called on Tuesday include, Area Command, Owode, Ogbomosho; Bodija and Iyana Offa Police stations, Ogbomosho Area Command; IGP Intelligence Response Team, Abuja and IGP & 5 others.

All the cases called out were adjourned till February. In all the petitions involving the Police, the Command had no representation as it was discovered that some of the concerned police stations were said to have refused being served to appear before the panel to defend themselves on the petition.

Some of the petitioners were not present to prosecute their petitions while those present had their respondents absent.

In a petition filed by one Olayiwola Oyedokun against Police officers in Iyana Offa, Ibadan, the legal officer of the Panel told the sitting that the Police at Iyana Offa refused to be served the summons.

Another case was that of an officer of the Nigerian Army, Lance Corporal Aderijo Adebayo Samuel, against the Nigeria Police, which was also refused.

Reacting to the absence of the Police at the sitting, the Chairman of the panel frowned at the attitude and ordered fresh services on them.

Earlier at the opening of the sitting, Justice Badejoko appealed to all petitioners and respondents not to try to influence members of the panel in any form or manner, warning the media to abstain from publishing false or fake news about the ongoing proceedings.

In a goodwill message at the opening, the Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association, Ibadan Branch, Mr Yinka Esan, commended Governor Seyi Makinde for setting up the Judicial Panel of Inquiry with the immediate past Chief Judge of the State, Hon. Justice Adeniji, and the immediate past Chairman of the NBA, Ibadan Branch, Prof. Oluwole Akintayo, and other distinguished personalities, as Chairman and members of the Judicial Panel of Inquiry.

He advised the panel not to be belaboured with the limitation of timeframe saying, “if the time given for the completion of the exercise is too small, apply for an extension of time instead of removing social distancing.”

He urged the panel to carefully evaluate the evidences presented by the petitioners and give recommendations according to the law and good conscience.

 

Ghanaian President pays last respect to the late Rawlings

Olajumoke Adeleke
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Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo led a delegation of dignitaries to pay their last respect to the memory of the late former President Jerry John Rawlings on Tuesday at the Accra International Conference Centre.

The body of the late former president has been lying in state at the conference centre since Monday for public viewing as Ghanaians from all walks of life pay glowing tributes to him.

Former President John Dramani Mahama also paid his last respect to the late former president.

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, also led the Members of Parliament (MPs) to file past the body.

The former Speaker of Parliament, Edward Doe-Adjaho, said the image of Rawlings “stands tall among all Ghanaian leaders, because he walked the talk when it comes to probity and accountability.”

“We should try to take a page from his life. His positives far outweigh the negatives. History and posterity will be kind to him, and we thank his family for giving us such a person,” Adjaho said.

An aid to the late former president and MP for the Beam constituency, Kofi Adams said “Rawlings left a legacy of his passion for social justice, truth, probity, and accountability. You didn’t have to be his family member to deserve respect and what is due to you. These are things that when we respect in our lives, the world would be a peaceful place for all of us.”

READ ALSO:
Ghanaian Former-President JJ Rawlings laid in state

Olajumoke Adeleke

Change of Service Chiefs just a routine-Garba Shehu

Dominica Ijeoma Nwabufo
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The Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu said only the Nigerian leader, who doubles as the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces could decide when the former Service Chiefs would leave office.

Confirming the appointment of new Service Chiefs in an interview with Voice of Nigeria soon after the news broke out, the Presidential spokesperson described the change of guards in the Armed Forces as a routine, adding that only the President could decide when to effect such changes based on information available to him.

He said, “Yes of course the President has accepted the resignation of the Service Commanders and he has appointed new ones to replace them. The new ones to replace them are Major General Leo Irabor, who is the Chief of Defence Staff; Major General Ibrahim Attahiru, Chief of Army Staff; Rear Admiral Gambo, the head of the Navy and Air Vice Marshal Amao, the Chief of Air Staff.

“This is a routine change and I believe that in making the change, the President has in mind the best possibilities for this country in matters of security.”

On why it took so long to effect the change people have been calling for, Shehu said:

“You know, under our own constitution, the appointment and replacement of Service Chiefs is entirely in the domain of the President as Commander in Chief and what we always told critics, who kept calling on him to change this or that is, the amount of information, intelligence and intellectual opinion on matters of security available to the President as Commander in Chief is not available to anyone of them.

“So therefore, what he sees, all of these critics or advocates don’t see that. This is why we consider them as being wrong and ought to give him the benefit of the doubt; and here we are, the time to make the changes has come because the President has decided that that is the time to do it.”

The Presidential Spokesperson expressed the hope that the new Service Chiefs will not let the President down.

When approached by VON State House Correspondent to comment on the new appointments, Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, who was visiting the Chief of Staff to the President, subtly declined and snatched the recorder of our correspondent, saying he would conduct the interview.

 

 

 

Gombe Judiciary records success in 2020

Nneka Oyibo Ukachukwu
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The Gombe State Judiciary has described its performance in the 2020 Legal Year as a success despite the Covid-19 lockdown.

The Acting Chief Judge of Gome State, Justice Mu’azu Pidiga, said the judiciary heard and determined 13, 663 civil and criminal cases in the year under review.

Justice Pindiga said out of the number, 11, 300 heard and determined cases were from the Areas, Magistrate and District Courts, while the remaining 2, 363 pending cases were being carried over to 2021.

He said the Gombe State Judiciary had realized N26, 072, 148 26m in the year under review, despite the Covid-19 lockdown, attributing the revenue generated to the effective management and constant supervision of revenue generating points in the judiciary.

The Acting Chief Judge, however, regretted that the Criminal Justice Committee could not undertake its usual jailed delivery programme in order to decongest the prisons in the state.

“The Criminal Justice Committee under my chairmanship could not undertake the jailed delivery exercise in order to decongest the prisons in the state, by reviewing cases of inmates who required such review due to ill-health or detention for periods longer than the sentences for the crimes for which they were held. We could not undertake the exercise due to restriction of entry into the Correctional Centres for fear of contamination of Covid-19. We regret this. We hope that this year we will witness a different approach”, he said.

State of Courts
Pindiga notified Governor Yahaya on the state of courts in the state, which he said were mostly in rented places and dilapidated states, thereby calling for their rehabilitation.

Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya equally commended the judiciary in the state, saying despite the Covid-19 restrictions, it performed remarkably, listing the opening of the Court of Appeal, Gombe Division, bringing appellate justice closer to the people.

He lauded the speedy dispensation of justice by the lower courts and that despite the challenges; the judiciary introduced reforms and adopted innovative ways to quicken the administration of justice.

Governor Yahaya, however, said more needed to be done to speed up judicial dispensation and decongest the prisons, calling on judicial officers to live above board and display the values of honesty, integrity and patriotism.

He called on judicial officers to work in harmony with all stakeholders towards achieving the desired goal of entrenching a crime-free and peaceful society.

Challenges facing the Judiciary
Governor Yahaya said his administration is aware of the challenges facing the judiciary and is working hard to address them.

He pledged that in the 2020/2021 Legal Year, the government would continue to offer the necessary support to create the enabling environment for the effective administration of justice in Gombe State, while committing to improve workers’ welfare in the judiciary.

“As we mark the commencement of the new legal year, I would like to call on our judges to dispense justice without fear or favour and ensure the speedy determination of cases. As My Lords would say, “Justice delayed is justice denied,” Governor Yahaya said.

Amendment in Area Court Law
On his part, the Chairman of the Gombe State Chapter of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Haruna Yalma, praised the amendment made in the Area Court Law, which has helped to sanitize the system by restoring public interest which was lost in the past.

He, however, called for the compilation and passage of Gombe State Laws, having been reviewed, the Review of Practice Direction, Legal Notice and other laws, because Gombe State still used laws from Bauchi State, even when those of Bauchi had been repealed because they had become obsolete.

“The effect of this review will impact the rating of Gombe State in the World Bank Ease of Doing Business assessment and eventually attract local and foreign investment to the state”,  Mr. Yalma said.    

He called for the immediate passage and domestication of Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act and the Administration of Criminal Justice Acts, which was before the State Assembly, saying “the passage will tremendously improve the Administration of Criminal Justice, reduce crime, create sanity and make justice accessible to the common man”.

 

 

Nneka Ukachukwu

 

President Buhari appoints new Service Chiefs

Dominica Ijeoma Nwabufo
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President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed new Service Chiefs to head the country’s Armed Forces.

The new Service Chiefs are: Major-General Leo Irabor, Chief of Defence Staff; Major-General I. Attahiru, Chief of Army Staff; Rear Admiral A.Z Gambo, Chief of Naval Staff; and Air-Vice Marshal I.O Amao, Chief of Air Staff.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina revealed this in a statement he issued on Tuesday.

He said: “The President congratulates the new Service Chiefs, and urges them to be loyal and dedicated in the discharge of their responsibilities.”

Adesina said the President has also accepted the immediate resignation of the Service Chiefs, and their retirement from service.

Those involved are the Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin; Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok Ekwe Ibas; and Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar.

President Buhari thanked the outgoing Service Chiefs for what he called their “overwhelming achievements in our efforts at bringing enduring peace to our dear country.”

He wished them well in their future endeavours.

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