The Nigerian Senate on Tuesday confirmed the nominees of President Bola Tinubu to serve in the Police Service Commission.
The confirmation followed a report by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Police Affairs, Ahmed Mallam-Maidori Abdulhamid, saying that the nominees were screened in line with the mandate of his Committee and found competent for the appointment.
In his contribution, Senator Seriake Dickson explained that President Bola Tinubu’s choice of one of the nominees, DIG Hashiru Salihu Argungu, rtd, to serve as Chairman of the Police Service Commission was a good development, given his wealth of experience having been in the police all through his life.
Seriake said: “Mr Senate President, Distinguished Colleagues, I am a member of the Committee that screened the nominees and I can attest to their competence, particularly the former Deputy Inspector General of Police, Argungu who has seen it all while he served in the Police and bringing his wealth of experience to bear on the Police Service Commission was the best thing to do.”
After contributions by the former Senate President, Dr Ahmad Lawan, commending the Committee for a detailed report, Senate President, Godswill Akpabio dissolved the plenary into the Committee of the Whole and confirmed the nominees.
The nominees confirmed are DIG Hashimu Salihu Argungu – Chairman, Chief Onyemuche Nnamani – Secretary and Barrister Fredrick Taiwo Lakanu – Member.
In his remark after confirmation, Senate President, Godswill Akpabio charged the Senate Committee on police Affairs to ensure oversight of the Police Service Commission to avoid the mistakes of yesteryears.
He tasked the Committee to ensure that the PSC works harmoniously with the office of the Inspector General of Police in the recruitment of police officers to ensure the security of the nation.
Chika
Senate confirmed Tinubu’s nominees for Police Service Commission
Senate confirmed Tinubu’s nominees for Police Service Commission
Senate rejects bill seeking to use gold to boost external reserves
The Senate has rejected a bill seeking to use gold to shore up the nation’s reserves in defence of the economy.
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.”
TikToker sentenced to 24 years in prison for insulting president, first family
A Ugandan court has sentenced 24-year-old Edward Awebwa, a TikTok content creator, to 24 years in prison for insulting President Yoweri Museveni, First Lady Janet Museveni, and their son Muhoozi Kainerugaba in a video posted on the platform.
He was sentenced four years each on six charges. But the sentences will run concurrently. So he will spend a total of six years in prison.
Awebwa pleaded guilty to the charges, which included hate speech and spreading “misleading and malicious” information, but showed no remorse, according to the presiding magistrate, Stella Maris Amabilis.
“The accused deserves a punishment which will enable him to learn from his past so that next time he will respect the person of the president, the first lady, and the first son,” Magistrate Amabilis stated.
Awebwa received a six-year sentence for each of the four charges, to be served concurrently. The case has drawn criticism from rights groups, who accuse Ugandan authorities of human rights violations and suppressing freedom of expression.
Read also: Supreme Court judgment: SERAP threatens 36 govs, Wike with lawsuits if LG funds are not returned
“This is a clear indication that the government is intent on silencing dissenting voices,” said Ugandan human rights lawyer Michael Aboneka. “Unless they are saying that they are going to arrest every Ugandan for criticizing them at every point.”
Awebwa’s sentence has sparked concerns about the broader law on hate speech, which rights groups argue is designed to suppress online freedom of speech. While the constitutional court ruled a section of the law penalizing “offensive communication” unconstitutional, Awebwa was charged under the broader law still under challenge.
The case is not isolated, as award-winning author Kakwenza Rukirabashaija and activist Stella Nyanzi have faced similar charges for criticizing the president and his family. Rukirabashaija fled to Germany after claiming torture, while Nyanzi is in exile.
President Museveni, in power since 1986, signed the law against hate speech in 2022, which critics see as a tool to silence opposition voices. The sentence handed down to Awebwa has raised concerns about the shrinking space for free speech in Uganda.
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Minimum Wage consultations between Organised Labour, Tinubu inconclusive
Minimum Wage consultations between the Organised Labour and President Bola Tinubu have again adjourned without a conclusive agreement.
The meeting called at the instance of the President, Bola Tinubu has just ended with no meaningful resolutions reached.
The Labour leaders who emerged from the meeting, however, told reporters that their consultations with the Presidency will continue next week as they also have to go back to their organs to relay what the President discussed with them.
President of Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero said the positions of N250,000 for Labour and N62,000 for the Federal Government still stands.
Recall that Nigerians, especially the nation’s workforce have been expecting a new minimum wage from the government.
Minimum Wage consultations between Organised Labour, Tinubu inconclusive
Sterling One Foundation and United Nations Nigeria Announce Africa Social Impact Summit (ASIS 3.0) 2024
Sterling One Foundation and United Nations Nigeria are pleased to announce the Africa Social Impact Summit (ASIS 3.0) 2024, set to occur on July 25-26 at the Eko Convention Centre, Lagos. This significant event, themed “Reimagining Progress: A New Blueprint for Sustainable Growth in Africa,” aims to address Africa’s pressing developmental challenges through innovative, market-led solutions.
At the official press conference on July 9th at the Lagos Oriental Hotel, key speakers included Olapeju Ibekwe, CEO of Sterling One Foundation; Mohammed M. Malick Fall, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the United Nations in Nigeria; and Abubakar Sulieman, MD/CEO of Sterling Bank.
In her remarks, Olapeju Ibekwe emphasized the summit’s goals of fostering partnerships, advocating for impactful policies, and attracting investments in critical sectors such as healthcare and education. Notably, last year’s summit led to the MTN Foundation investing over 3 billion Naira in primary healthcare.
Mohammed M. Malick Fall stressed the urgency of accelerating efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, while Abubakar Sulieman highlighted the importance of collaborative efforts in driving social impact across Africa.
We invite all stakeholders, including government leaders, policymakers, and civil society representatives, to participate in this transformative event. For more details, visit ASIS Press Release {PR link here} and register for the event at ASIS 2024 Registration.
We invite all stakeholders, including government leaders, policymakers, and civil society representatives, to participate in this transformative event. For more details, visit ASIS; and register for the event at ASIS 2024 Registration.
Appeal court upholds Ododo’s election as Kogi governor
The Appeal Court in Abuja has confirmed Usman Ododo’s election as the Governor of Kogi State.
On Thursday, a three-member panel of the court delivered a judgment dismissing the election petition filed by the Social Democratic Party and its governorship candidate, Murtala Ajaka.
The appellate court dismissed the appellants’ claims, saying that they failed to present credible evidence to substantiate their allegations of electoral malpractices, over-voting and certificate forgery.
More details later…
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Senate in emergency executive session as Akpabio, Lawan clash over sitting time
The Senate, on Thursday, went into an emergency executive session following a heated disagreement over the official sitting time of the Red Chamber, reports The Nigerian Tribune.
The disagreement involved the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and his predecessor, Senator Ahmed Lawan, over the timing of the plenary sessions.
According to the Senate’s rules, the official commencement time is 10 am.
However, it has reportedly become routine for sessions to start much later, often around 11 am or even later, as lawmakers trickle in late.
Traditionally, the Senate adjourns its sittings for the day with plans to reconvene at 11 am the next legislative day, despite the official start time being 10 am.
On Thursday, the Senate sought to formally amend its rules to shift the official sitting time from 10 am to 11 am.
This motion was brought forward by Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele.
As the Senate moved to deliberate on the amendment, Lawan opposed the proposal.
He challenged Akpabio, arguing that the reason for changing the sitting time—to synchronise with the House of Representatives—was not convincing or “scientific” enough.
He insisted that there were no substantial reasons to shift the sitting time and highlighted that lawmakers were more energetic in the early hours, making a 10 am start more productive.
“The explanation that the change was to enable the Senate to synchronise its sitting time with that of the House of Representatives is not saleable to senators,” Lawan stated.
Kenya: President Ruto sacks cabinet amid protests
President William Ruto of Kenya has dissolved his cabinet with immediate effect.
This move comes two weeks after protesters took to the streets to demand Ruto’s resignation.
The cabinet dissolution does not affect the Office of the Vice President and the Prime Cabinet Secretary.
“I have decided to dismiss with immediate effect all the cabinet secretaries and the Attorney General of the cabinet of Kenya, except the prime cabinet secretary and cabinet secretary for diaspora affairs.
“The office of the vice president is not affected in any way,” Ruto said in a televised address on Thursday.
Ruto also promised there would be extensive consultations across different sectors and political formations to set up a “broad-based” government that will assist him in dealing with the burden of debt, raising domestic resources, eliminating waste and corruption in government and expanding job opportunities for the youth.
Kenya: President Ruto sacks cabinet amid protests
Military uncovers planned attack on critical infrastructure
The Defence Headquarters has said it had uncovered plans by criminal elements to attack critical infrastructure of the country.
According to the DHQ, measures to forestall such attacks had been put in place.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Thursday, the Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj Gen Edward Buba, 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.
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. ”
He urged the citizens not to compromise on security to have a safe and secure environment.
Buba added, “In this fight, citizens must understand that we must never compromise on security, otherwise everyone’s security will be compromised. This is a situation that cannot be over-emphasized for us to live in safety and security.
“These terrorists are the enemy that must be fought and defeated. They are responsible for keeping the nation in an almost constant state of counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency.”
He also disclosed that last week, troops killed 187 terrorists and arrested 183 suspects, adding that crude oil products worth N1bn were recovered.
He said, “During the week under review, troops neutralised 187 and arrested 183 persons. Troops also arrested 26 perpetrators of oil theft and rescued 109 kidnapped hostages. In the SS, troops denied the oil theft of the estimated sum of N1,127,229,890.00 only.
“Furthermore, troops recovered 128 assorted weapons and 3,300 assorted ammunition. The breakdown is as follows: one PKT gun, 80 AK47 rifles, 15 locally fabricated guns, 15 Dane guns, 2 FN rifles, five pump action guns, two single barrel guns, four locally fabricated pistols, one fabricated barretta pistol, one locally made double barrel gun, two hand grenades, two primed IEDs and materials.
“Troops in the Niger Delta area discovered and destroyed 18 dugout pits, 30 boats and 49 storage tanks. Other items recovered include 66 cooking ovens, four drums, five speedboats, 15 vehicles, two tricycles, one generator, 11 mobile phones, and 57 illegal refining sites. “
The According reports that the country’s critical infrastructure, especially electricity towers had been under attack by vandals.
Attacks on electricity infrastructure have increased recently, causing a blackout in the affected areas.
Three electricity towers, T193, T194, and T195, were destroyed on December 28, 2023, by terrorists with improvised explosive devices in Borno State.
In June 2024, two towers, T193 and T194, along the 330 kilovolts single circuit transmission line were destroyed by vandals in Borno State.
On Sunday, troops foiled a terrorist attack on an electricity infrastructure in Yobe State.
Finally, Nigerian Supreme Court endorses Local Govt autonomy
In a landmark judgment on Thursday, the Supreme Court endorsed full autonomy for the 774 local governments in the country, putting an end to the abuse of their affairs by some state governors.
The apex court ordered that funds from the Federation Account in the credit of the councils must be paid directly to their respective bank accounts.
In the same vein, the court barred the governors, their and privies from directly or indirectly receiving, tampering or withhold funds meant for the local governments henceforth.
In the lead judgment delivered by Justice Emmanuel Akomaye Agim, the Federation Account was specifically ordered to ensure that henceforth all monies including shares from taxes and other sources are channelled directly into the purses of councils with democratically elected officials in place.
The governors were also barred from henceforth dissolving democratically elected officials for local governments and that doing so would amount to a breach of the 1999 Constitution.
In the unanimous judgment of the seven-man panel of Justices, the Supreme Court agreed with the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, that the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria recognized local governments as the third tier of government.
The Justices also agreed with him that some state governors have in the past two decades been using Nigeria’s Constitution to perpetrate unconstitutional acts.
The argument of Fagbemi that the Constitution permitted governors to receive money on behalf of local governments but did not permit them to spend such money on their behalf was upheld.
Among others, the apex court ordered the Federation Account to withhold funds of local governments where democratically elected officials are not in place.
It also barred the governors, their agents and privies from embarking on dissolution of democratically elected officials at the local governments level.
According to the Justices, the Constitution did not make local governments appendages of the state and that no tier of government should be subordinate to another.
Justice Agim held that states are not subordinate to the federal just as local governments should not subservient to the states.
In all, all the request of the federal government were granted in line with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution and as canvassed by the Justice Minister.
Fagbemi had on May 24 this year, on behalf of the Federal Government, dragged the 36 governors before the Supreme Court over alleged misconduct in the running of affairs of local governments in the country.
The Attorney General instituted the court action against the governors primarily seeking full autonomy for local governments as third tiers of government in the country.
The Attorney General instituted the court action against the governors primarily seeking full autonomy for local governments as third tiers of government in the country.
In the suit marked SC/CV/343/2024, the AGF had prayed the apex court for an order prohibiting State Governors from unilateral, arbitrary and unlawful dissolution of democratically elected local government leaders for local governments..
In the originating summons he personally signed, Fagbemi also prayed the Supreme Court for an order permitting the funds standing in the credits of local governments to be directly channelled to them from the Federation Account in line with the provisions of the Constitution as against the alleged unlawful joint accounts created by governors.
He also sought order of the apex court stopping governors from constituting Caretaker Committees to run the affairs of local governments as against the constitutionally recognized and guaranteed democratically system.
Besides, the AGF applied for an order of injunction restraining the governors, their agents and privies from receiving, spending or tampering with funds released from the Federation Account for the benefits of local governments when no democratically elected local government system is put in place in the states.
The governors, who were sued through their respective State Attorneys General, demanded dismissal of the suit on the ground that the Supreme Court has no jurisdiction to adjudicate in the matter and that the suit did not disclose any reasonable cause of action against them.
The request for dismissal was however rejected by the Justices for being frivolous vexatious and lacking in merit.
The suit is predicted on 27 grounds among which are that the Nigeria Federation is a creation of the 1999 Constitution with President as Head of the Federal Executive arm of the Federation and has sworn to uphold and give effects to the provisions of the Constitution.
*That the governors represent the component states of the Federation with Executive Governors who have also sworn to uphold the Constitution and to at all times,give effects to the Constitution and that the Constitution, being the supreme law, has binding force all over the Federation of Nigeria.
* That the Constitution of Nigeria recognizes federal, states and local governments as three tiers of government and that the three recognized tiers of government draw funds for their operation and functioning from the Federation Account created by the Constitution.
*That by the provisions of the Constitution, there must be a democratically elected local government system and that the Constitution has not made provisions for any other systems of governance at the local government level other than democratically elected local government system.
*That in the face of the clear provisions of the Constitution, the governors have failed and refused to put in place a democratically elected local government system even where no state of emergency has been declared to warrant the suspension of democratic institutions in the state.
*That the failure of the governors to put democratically elected local government system in place, is a deliberate subversion of the 1999 Constitution which they and the President have sworn to uphold.
*That all efforts to make the governors comply with the dictates of the 1999 Constitution in terms of putting in place, a democratically elected local government system, has not yielded any result and that to continue to disburse funds from the Federation Account to governors for non existing democratically elected local government is to undermine the sanctity of the 1999 Constitution.
*That in the face of the violations of the 1999 Constitution, the Federal Government is not obligated under section 162 of the Constitution to pay any state, funds standing to the credit of local governments where no democratically elected local government is in place.
Fagbemi therefore asked the apex court to invoke sections 1, 4, 5, 7 and 14 of the Constitution to declare that the state governors and State Houses of Assembly are under obligation to ensure democratically system at the third tier of government in Nigeria and to also invoke the same sections to hold that the governors cannot lawfully dissolve democratically elected local government councils.
The AGF also prayed for invocation of sections 1, 4, 5, 7 and 14 of the Constitution to declare that dissolution of democratically elected local government councils by the governors or anyone using the state powers derivable from laws enacted by the State Houses of Assembly or any Executive Order is unlawful, unconstitutional, null and void.
Finally, Nigerian Supreme Court endorses Local Govt autonomy