President Bola Tinubu has described the Supreme Court ruling on Local Government autonomy as a welcome development, saying the decision affirms the spirit, intent, and purpose of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the statutory rights of council dwellers.
He insisted that a fundamental challenge to the nation’s advancement over the years has been ineffective local government administration.
According to the President, governance at the critical cellular level of socio-political configuration was nearly absent.
He advised the rural dwellers that the onus is now on local council leaders to ensure that the broad spectrum of Nigerians living at that level are satisfied that they are benefitting from people-oriented service delivery.
Tinubu said, “The Renewed Hope Agenda is about the people of this country, at all levels, irrespective of faith, tribe, gender, political affiliation, or any other artificial line they say exists between us. This country belongs to all of us. By virtue of this judgement, our people – especially the poor – will be able to hold their local leaders to account for their actions and inactions. What is sent to local government accounts will be known, and services must now be provided without excuses.
“My administration instituted this suit because of our unwavering belief that our people must have relief and today’s judgement will ensure that it will be only those local officials elected by the people that will control the resources of the people. This judgement stands as a resounding affirmation that we can use legitimate means of redress to restructure our country and restructure our economy to make Nigeria a better place to live in and a fairer society for all of our people”.
The President further noted that the provision of some essential amenities and public goods, such as the construction and maintenance of certain roads, streets, street lighting, drains, parks, gardens, open spaces, and other residual responsibilities, including community security, has tottered owing to the emasculation of local governments.
According to the President, the decision of the Supreme Court to uphold the constitutional rights and ideals of local governments as regards financial autonomy, and other salient principles, is of historic significance and further reinforces the effort to enhance Nigeria’s true federal fabric for the development of the entire nation.
” I commend the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) for his diligence and patriotic effort on this important assignment.
“My administration remains committed to protecting the principles of the charter governing citizens, institutions of government, arms, and tiers of government in furtherance of building an efficient and performance-driven governance system that works for every Nigerian,” Tinubu added.
LG Autonomy: You can now hold your leaders responsible – Tinubu to grassroots
LG Autonomy: You can now hold your leaders responsible – Tinubu to grassroots
Nigeria’s military uncovers plan attack on critical infrastructure
The Nigerian military has uncovered plans to attack on critical infrastructure in the country by unscrupulous elements.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj Gen Edward Buba, disclosed this at a media briefing on Thursday in Abuja.
He said the appropriate agency responsible for the protection of the nation’s critical infrastructure had been alerted.
Buba noted that some of the plans had already been frustrated.
READ ALSO: Nigerian troops kill bandits who attacked NDA —Kaduna Govt
He said: “We are aware of some of the plans to target some critical infrastructure in the country. Accordingly, we have placed measures to forestall such plans.
“Security agencies responsible for securing critical infrastructure and facilities have also been placed on alert. Accordingly, some of such plans have been frustrated.”
However, the exact nature of the targeted infrastructure and the group behind the plot have not been made public.
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Obaseki inaugurates 20-man transition committee four months to end of tenure
Barely four months to the end of his eight years as governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki has inaugurated a 20-man transition committee to pilot the smooth transition of power and knowledge to the next administration.
TVN reports that Governor Obaseki inaugurated the committee members, at the EXCO Chambers, in Government House, Benin City, with some members joining virtually.
Obaseki, who said the Committee is chaired by a former Commissioner for Finance in the State, Mr Joseph Eboigbe, did not, however, give the names of the remaining 19 members.
He said, ”today is July 11, 2024 and it will mark exactly four months to the day I will hand over this government to the next elected governor of Edo State. As it’s global best practice, I am putting together a transition team that would have the responsibility to document the achievement of this administration in the last eight years.
“The team will look and retrieve all documents and all other related materials relating to policy decisions that have been taken by this administration in every area of government and governance over the last eight years and put them in a structured order in a data room. I believe that most of these materials have almost been digitized.
“A proper digital and regular data room would be created where all documents related to every activity, contract, EXCO decision, presentation, and policy paper in every area will be retrieved, documented, and chronicled as it will serve as institutional memory for the next and subsequent administrations.
“You will all put together reports on each area and aspect of government we have intervened in and recommendations for the next administration.
“This document and resources should serve to smoothly transfer power and knowledge from this administration to the next. We would have both the physical and digital repository of all the information and decisions taken during the life of this administration as these documents will be relevant both for internal and external consumption and research and possibly policy development.
“This report will also give a detailed account of strategic vision and outlook of the administrative structure, policy impact, and completed programmes and initiatives as well as uncompleted programmes and initiatives to enable the incoming administration to know where to take off from”, he said.
Obaseki, who charged members of the committee to complete the project before the 30th of October 2024, noted that the document would form parts of what would be handed over during the transition period on November 11th, 2024.
In his response, the Chairman of the Committee, Joseph Eboigbe promised that the committee would diligently discharge their duties, pledging to deliver the report within the timeline given by the governor
Obaseki inaugurates 20-man transition committee four months to end of tenure
Senate rejects bill seeking to regulate forex market in Nigeria
The Senate has rejected a bill seeking to monitor and regulate the Forex Exchange and Foreign Exchange.
The bill sponsored by Senator Sani Musa ( APC, Niger East) titled “ Foreign Exchange (Control and Monitoring) Bill, 2024 (SB. 353)” was thrown out after debates by lawmakers who opposed it.
Musa stated that the bill was read for the first time on Tuesday, February 20, 2024.
He noted that the bill sought to repeal the Foreign Exchange (Monitoring and Miscellaneous Provision) Act, Cap. F34, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and establish a Foreign Exchange Market in Nigeria, to make provisions for the control, monitoring, and supervision of transactions conducted in the Foreign Exchange Market.
The Niger lawmaker stated that the objective of the bill sought to “ To establish a foreign exchange market.
“To provide for the regulation, monitoring, and supervision of the transactions conducted in the market and for related matters.
“To contribute to the sound development of the National Economy by striving to facilitate foreign transactions and to maintain an equilibrium of balance of International payments.”
He added that the bill would also move to stabilise the value of the currency by ensuring the liberalisation of foreign exchange transactions; – To maintain an equilibrium of the balance of International payments, and – To stabilize the value of the currency by ensuring the liberalisation of foreign exchange transactions and other foreign transactions by revitalising market functionality.“
He said that the bill attempts to expand Section (1) of the existing Act to incorporate three new provisions to make for clarity and to empower the Central Bank of Nigeria to administer, control, and manage all dealings and transactions concerning foreign exchange matters.
Musa said, “The newly introduced clauses will enable the CBN to determine the basic exchange rate of purchase and sale of foreign exchange.
“Clause 6 of the Bill introduces New Sub-clauses (2), (4) and (5) which require authorised dealers to: Render returns to the CBN on sources of foreign exchange over $10,000 and utilisation of same, and obtain prior approval of the CBN when seeking to import foreign currency notes.
“Part Ill of the Bill makes elaborate provisions for the grant of a license to carry on business dealings in foreign exchange. In this part, provisions were made for refusal of license, suspension or revocation of license, review and appeal, etc.
“Clause 18 (1) (a) and (b) were added to expand the scope of dealers in the market and where funds are purchased from the Bank. The market rate may be subject to rules and regulations prescribed by the Bank. “
He submitted, “The operation of domiciliary account shall be as prescribed by the bank and the powers of the CBN have been widened to prescribe how foreign exchange may be accepted for the payment for goods and services in Nigeria.
“Mr President the future of any nation is a function of her ability as a nation to manage its economy efficiently and optimally. Intrinsically linked to the wellness of a country’s economy is the state of its Foreign Exchange Market usually regulated by a foreign exchange regime.”
Minimum Wage: Labour leaders table economic hardships faced by Nigerians before Tinubu
The meeting called by President Bola Tinubu to discuss the minimum wage issue ended in an inconclusive note on Thursday.
But it afforded parties to the discussions, notably, the President and the organised Labour, comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress. an opportunity to engage in a heart-to-heart talk.
The meeting which lasted for about one and half hours, mainly centred on xraying the issues that should necessitate an increase in the current minimum wage, highlighting the contemporary economic realities.
The meeting was, however, adjourned till next week to allow for more consultations from the government and labour side.
Emerging from the meeting, the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, described the short meeting as fruitful as it was more or less a family discussion between a father and the children.
She said, “It was a fruitful meeting, father, children meeting. I think we are hopeful that very soon everything will be resolved. Of course, when father and children talk you know what it is. That’s just exactly what has happened. It took us almost an hour. I believe that it’s all for good”.
On his part, President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero revealed that the meeting will reconvene next week, insisting that both parties have not rescinded their previous positions on the amount.
Ajaero said, “in a real sense, it wasn’t a negotiation but a discussion and we have had that discussion. We agreed to look at the real terms and to reconvene in the next one week. So that’s where we are. Because we didn’t go down there to talk naira and kobo. At least there were some basic issues that we agreed on”.
Asked whether they deliberated on the N250,000 being demanded by Labour, the NLC President replied, “I remember mentioning that we didn’t go into Naria and Kobo discussion. Now the status quo in terms of the amount N250,000 and N62,000 remains until we finish this conversation”.
Corroborating Ajaero and Onyejeocha, the TUC President, Festus Osifo said they told the President in plain terms what the economic realities are at the moment.
He said they tried to make the President see reasons why the minimum wage has to be shored up, going by the hardships Nigerians were facing.
His words, “In the meeting we tried to put the issues on the table. Issues that are bothering and biting Nigerians today, are the economic difficulties and the value of naira, how it has also eroded, and how these have affected the prices of commodities and goods in the market.
“We tried to put these before Mr President because he is the President of the country and the bulk stops at his table.
“We have had all the conversations with all his agents, but today we said let us meet with the father of the country and have this conversation and make the argument that Labour always make, we made all the arguments, the economic analysis, macro, micro, fiscal and monetary issues. So we put everything forward and at the end, the president made his remark as the president and we all agreed “Let’s go back, we internalize it, we have some conversation and in one week’s time, we will come back and we will continue the meeting”.
Minimum Wage: Labour leaders table economic hardships faced by Nigerians before Tinubu
Tinubu hails Supreme Court judgment affirming LG autonomy
President Bola Tinubu has lauded the Supreme Court’s judgment affirming the constitutional rights of local governments, emphasizing its critical role in advancing effective governance at the grassroots level.
In a statement released on Thursday, Tinubu highlighted the importance of the judgment, describing it as a reaffirmation of the Constitution.
The statement was signed by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale.
He noted that ineffective local government administration has been a significant obstacle to national progress, with governance at the grassroots level nearly non-existent.
“The Renewed Hope Agenda is about the people of this country, at all levels, irrespective of faith, tribe, gender, political affiliation, or any other artificial line they say exists between us.
“This country belongs to all of us. By virtue of this judgment, our people – especially the poor – will be able to hold their local leaders to account for their actions and inactions. What is sent to local government accounts will be known, and services must now be provided without excuses,” Tinubu said
He emphasised that the onus is now on local council leaders to deliver people-oriented services, ensuring that Nigerians at the grassroots feel the impact of governance.
He also expressed confidence that the judgment would allow local officials elected by the people to control local resources transparently and effectively.
“My administration instituted this suit because of our unwavering belief that our people must have relief and today’s judgment will ensure that it will be only those local officials elected by the people that will control the resources of the people,
“This judgment stands as a resounding affirmation that we can use legitimate means of redress to restructure our country and restructure our economy to make Nigeria a better place to live in and a fairer society for all of our people,” the President stated
Tinubu pointed out that the provision of essential amenities and public goods has been hampered due to the weakening of local governments.
He commended the Supreme Court for upholding the constitutional rights of local governments, particularly regarding financial autonomy.
He further described the decision as historic and a significant step towards strengthening Nigeria’s federal structure for national development.
Tinubu also praised the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), for his diligent and patriotic efforts in this critical legal battle.
He reiterated his administration’s commitment to protecting the principles of governance and ensuring a performance-driven system that benefits every Nigerian.
Nigerian govt, oil producers agree deal on crude supply to local refineries at market prices
The federal government has reached an agreement with oil producers to permit the sale of crude oil to domestic refiners at prevailing market prices.
This deal, brokered on Thursday through the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) brings to an end a supply dispute that has strained relations with international oil companies (IOCs).
The producers under the aegis of the Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS) of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce Industry (LCCI) at the instance of the NUPRC agreed to concede to a framework that would be mutually beneficial with a focus on ensuring that the local refineries are not strangulated with off-the-curve prices.
The meeting was part of efforts to effectively implement key sections of the Petroleum Industry Act, especially pricing and crude supply to the domestic refineries.
Komolafe while speaking at the event said President Bola Tinubu is fully committed to providing a level playing ground for producers and refiners to do business in the industry.
He said there was need to have a rule of engagement to ensure that the pricing model from the oil producers is not seen to be strangulating the domestic refineries.
READ ALSO: NNPC declares state of emergency on crude oil production
He directed producers and refiners to henceforth provide the regulator with cargo price quote on crude supply and delivery to effectively monitor and regulate transactions among parties.
“We need to have the price quotes on a monthly basis” he directed.
The Domestic Crude Oil Supply Obligation (DCOSO) has a convergence with the nation’s energy security. The NURPC boss said his administration is re-engineering its regulatory processes.
“We allow all our processes to be transparent. While the Federal Government targets implementation of the regulation, all parties must concede to the rules of engagement as a guide for operation,” he said.
“We need to discuss pricing especially as parties have committed to respecting their domestic crude oil obligation. For us as the regulator, we don’t want the upstream sector to be operated sub-optimally through cost under-recovery.
“So, the regulator is very alive to that. In crude pricing, we will never allow price strangulation to dis-incentivize our domestic refining capacity optimization. The regulator does not support cost under-recovery in the upstream sector, and we will continue to work to ensure that crude supply profiteering as a negative factor that can strangulate our domestic refining capacity optimization is disallowed.”
Komolafe further stated that the NUPRC is truly committed to attraction of needed investments to boost upstream development and optimization of the hydrocarbon resources in the country.
By Babajide Okeowo
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Obaseki begins handover process, sets up transition c’ttee
The Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, on Thursday, inaugurated a 20-member transition committee to pilot the smooth transition of power and knowledge to the next administration four months before the end of his administration.
The Committee is chaired by a former Commissioner for Finance in the State, Joseph Eboigbe.
Obaseki inaugurated the committee members, at the EXCO Chambers, in Government House, Benin City, with some members joining virtually.
The governor said, “Today is the 11th of July, 2024 and it will mark exactly four months to the day I will hand over government to the next elected governor of Edo State. As it’s global best practice, I am putting together a transition team that would have the responsibility to document the achievement of this administration in the last eight years.
“The team will look and retrieve all documents and all other materials relating to policy decisions that have been taken by this administration in every area of government and governance over the last seven years and put the same in a structured order in a data room. I believe that most of these materials have almost been digitized.
According to him, a proper digital and regular data room would be created where all documents related to every activity, contract, EXCO decision, presentation, and policy paper in every area will be retrieved, documented, and chronicled as it will serve as institutional memory for the next and subsequent administrations.
He continued: “You will all put together reports on each area and aspect of government we have intervened in and recommendations for the next administration.
“This document and resources should serve to smoothly transfer power and knowledge from this administration to the next. We would have both the physical and digital repository of all the information and decisions taken during the life of this administration as these documents will be relevant both for internal and external consumption and research and possibly policy development.
He noted that the report will also give a detailed account of the strategic vision and outlook of the administrative structure, policy impact, and completed programmes and initiatives as well as uncompleted programmes and initiatives to enable the incoming administration know where to take off from.
“This report should be completed before the 30th of October 2024, as this document will form parts of what will be handed over during the transition period on November 11th, 2024.”
In his response, the Chairman of the Committee, Joseph Eboigbe promised that the committee would diligently discharge their duties, pledging to deliver the report within the timeline given by the governor
NSCDC deploys 1,504 officers for Adamawa council poll
The Adamawa State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, has deployed 1,504 officers and men to secure the council election scheduled for the state this Saturday, July 13.
A statement from the command headquarters in Yola on Thursday said the officers and men would be ensuring the safety and security of citizens, electoral officers, and election materials across all polling units of the 21 local government areas.
“This deployment is crucial to ensuring the smooth conduct of this important electoral process, enabling citizens to freely cast their voters,” the NSCDC said in the statement signed by the command DPRO, Nyako Amidu Baba.
“The Command has enhanced patrols and intelligence gathering efforts to facilitate proactive responses,” the statement said, asking for timely and reliable information from the public to promptly address any potential threats to peace.
“Additionally, the public is informed of temporary restrictions on movement and the closure of public spaces (such as markets, motor parks, and recreation centres) from 8:00am to 3:00pm of Saturday 13th July, 2024,” the NSCDC stated.
It appealed to all citizens to participate in the electoral process responsibly and to carry out their lawful activities peacefully.
NSCDC deploys 1,504 officers for Adamawa council poll
Revisit school feeding programme, Reps tell FG
The House of Representatives, on Thursday, urged the Federal Government to revisit the school feeding programme, suspended over sundry controversies.
The National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme was a pilot programme launched in 2004 targeting 12 states to provide a nutritious midday meal to public primary school pupils in the country:
In 2016, the programme was relaunched nationally, targeting public primary school children using locally sourced ingredients to improve health, stimulate agricultural production, and boost smallholder farmers’ income.
Recall that President Bola Tinubu, on January 12, 2024, suspended all programmes of the National Social Investment Programme Agency for six weeks.
The four programmes administered by NSIPA are N- the Power Programme, Conditional Cash Transfer Programme, Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme, and Home Grown School Feeding Programme.
Following the adoption of the motion, the House mandated its Committees on Special Duties and Finance to invite the Ministers of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Education, and Finance to revisit the program and propose solutions for its future success.”
The House, while adopting a motion on “Urgent call to revisit school feeding policy” moved by the member representing Tarauni Federal Constituency, Kano State, Mr Muktar Zakari, noted that the philosophy behind the NHGSFP is to encourage enrollment into the public primary schools, address childhood hunger pangs, and improve their ability to concentrate, learn, and increase school attendance.
The lawmaker, a member of the New Nigeria People’s Party, lamented that “The suspension of the NHGSFP by the current administration is unsettling for several reasons, namely reduced school enrollment and attendance, compromised health and cognitive development of the children, and disruption of the income of smallholder farmers.”
He also said “Addressing the programme’s challenges is crucial, but a complete suspension may cause more harm,” noting that “It is important to find alternative solutions or efficient implementation of the NHGSFP to ensure Nigerian children continue to benefit from this important initiative.”
In his words, “The cancellation of the programme is causing an upsurge in the number of out-of-school children, posing a threat to the country’s future and leading to a high rate of crimes, insecurity, and unemployment.”