A High Court sitting in Nsukka, Enugu State, on Tuesday, granted an order barring the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN, from going ahead with a hostel project.
The interlocutory injunction was granted by Justice Hyacinthia Urunwa Ezeugwu while delivering judgement in suit No N/86/2020 filed by Hon Nnaemeka Aleke on behalf of Obukpa community against the UNN and Viagem Property and Investment Limited.
Aleke in the suit had urged the court to stop further development of the 11,900-room hostel, which he alleged was causing environment degradation to his Obukpa community.
He also sought N1 billion as damages.
Delivering judgement after four years of legal tussle, the Court held that the evidence of the six witnesses presented by the plaintiff was incontrovertible.
The court which resolved all the issues in the favour of the plaintiff said apart from the testimony of the witnesses, a visit by the court to the project site equally proved that there was environmental threat.
It went ahead to order that further development be stopped pending when the contractor put up erosion control measures in the area.
The judge also ordered the defendants to pay the sum of N20 million to the plaintiff, as well as another N500,000 over the litigation.
Speaking to journalists after the judgement, the lawyer to the plaintiff, Barr C.I. Odoh said the verdict had saved the future of the community.
According to him, “the two major issues, which are technical issues raised by the defendants, the court dismissed all of them in favour of the plaintiffs. It dismissed all those technical positions.
“It held that the six witnesses were consistent in their evidence on what they are suffering. It ruled that the two witnesses presented by the defendants could not controvert the overwhelming evidences of their plaintiffs.
“The court also held that when it visited the site it saw the environmental damage, the plight of the plaintiffs. It now affirmed that the plaintiffs have proven their case and resolved all the issues against the defendants.
“It ordered that the University and Viagem who are the 1st and the 2nd defendants shall stop continuing the work they are doing till construction of erosion control measures in the community.
“It granted a perpetual injunction stopping them from continuing to do anything except they put up the erosion control measures.
“It also awarded N20 million jointly and severally against the defendants, and awarded N500,000 cost of coming to court against the university and the company.”
The lawyer expressed gratitude to God, noting that the most important thing was the injunction.
“I commend Hon. Nnaemeka Aleke for leading his community to challenge this erosion malaise, which would have exterminated the community.
“Prior to the suit, they wrote the university several times, but they were ignored. So I commend and congratulate them for taking it up and getting this victory.
“The most important thing is not even the monetary damage but the erosion control measures that the court ordered the defendants to put in place to preserve life of the people of that community.
“That’s the major reason I’m commending the court because even if you give them N1 billion without putting that erosion control, they may have money but won’t have anywhere to stay,” the lawyer added.
Environment degradation: Court orders UNN to stop hostel project, awards host community N20m
Environment degradation: Court orders UNN to stop hostel project, awards host community N20m
N’Assembly passes N70,000 minimum wage bill
The Senate and House of Representatives swiftly passed the National Minimum Wage Act 2019 (Amendment Bill).
The bill, which went through second and third readings in both legislative chambers of the National Assembly within minutes of being transmitted by President Bola Tinubu, was approved separately by the Senate and the House of Representatives on Tuesday.
Following a unanimous vote after a clause-by-clause consideration in the Committee of the Whole, the National Minimum Wage Bill passed its third reading and was approved by the Senate.
The House of Representatives also passed the bill immediately, mirroring the Senate’s actions.
President Tinubu is expected to sign the bill into law.
Earlier, the President transmitted the National Minimum Wage Bill to the National Assembly for consideration and passage.
He separately wrote to the Senate and the House of Representatives, requesting prompt consideration of the bill to amend the National Minimum Wage Act 2019, increasing the National Minimum Wage from ₦30,000 to ₦70,000.
Additionally, the President requested lawmakers to reduce the period for periodic review of the national minimum wage from five years to three years, addressing related matters in the process.
Last Thursday, Tinubu and the leadership of the organised Labour agreed on ₦70,000 as the new minimum wage for Nigerian workers.
This agreement followed a series of talks between labour leaders and the President over the past few weeks, after months of unsuccessful negotiations between labour organisations and a tripartite committee on minimum wage constituted by the President in January.
The committee, which included representatives from state and federal governments and the organised private sector, had proposed ₦62,000, while labour had insisted on ₦250,000 as the new minimum wage for workers, who currently earn ₦30,000.
Labour had argued that ₦30,000 was unsustainable given the economic challenges of inflation and the high cost of living following the removal of the petrol subsidy by the President.
Despite its initial insistence on ₦250,000, Labour accepted the President’s offer of ₦70,000 last Thursday.
Joe Ajaero, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, stated that Labour accepted ₦70,000 and rejected a proposal by President Bola Tinubu to pay ₦250,000 on the condition of increased petrol prices.
He also noted that Labour agreed to the ₦70,000 offer because the minimum wage would be reviewed every three years instead of every five years.
The transmission of the wage bill came about six weeks after the President announced in his Democracy Day speech on June 12, 2024, that an executive bill on the new national minimum wage would be sent to the National Assembly for passage.
Ogun assembly hails Abiodun for picking Onasanya as HoS
The Chairman of the Ogun State House of Assembly Committee on Establishment and Public Service Matters, Babatunde Tella, has commended Governor Dapo Abiodun on the choice of Mr. Kehinde Onasanya, as the State Head of Service.
This was just as the assembly has equally requested further capacity-building training for the state workforce to be more productive and grounded to serve the state better.
Tella, in a statement on Tuesday, gave the commendation, while playing host to the Civil Service Commission team led by the Head of Service, Mr Onasanya as well as the Chairman of the Commission, Tokunbo during the ongoing 2024 budget performance appraisal of ministries, departments and agencies of government in the State.
The lawmaker said, “The new Head of Service, Mr Kehinde Onasanya, is no doubt a thoroughbred information management expert and seasoned administrator, who rose through the rank by the dint of hard work and dedication to duties to the pinnacle of the civil service.
“The governor has really done well with the choice of Mr Onasanya and we will urge him to use his wealth of experience to boost the human capital development of public servants in the State.
“The capacity building of the entire workforce needs to be further developed and explored for quality service delivery which in turn will reflect on the rapid development of the State.”
Speaking during his appearance before the committee, Onasanya said the state economy under the Abiodun-led administration was anchored on a strategic development plan as encapsulated in the five developmental pillars of ISEYA MANTRA which had continued to engender meaningful development in all parts of the State.
He said the state stands today as the industrial capital of Nigeria with over 6,000 industries of which the economic importance could not be overemphasised.
The statement quoted Onasanya as describing “ the Civil service as the engine room of government pointing out that the various forms of capacity development programmes being put in place have been approved by the Governor to enhance the operational efficiency and effectiveness of government.
“The Head of Service also lauded the commitment of the lawmakers towards the development of the State, noting that the mutual synergy between the legislative and executive arms would continue to engender meaningful development.”
Other agencies that appeared before the State lawmakers were the Bureau of Service Matters, the Bureau of Establishment and Training, the Bureau of Public Service Reforms as well as the Bureau of State Pension under the Office of the Head of Service.
In the same vein, the House Committee on Commerce, Trade and Investment led by Hon. Adebisi Oyedele also played host to the team from the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment led by the Permanent Secretary, Dr Olu Ola Aikulola, with a charge on the team to brace up for the challenge of improving on the revenue of the government.
Oyedele noted that the current economic situation in the country required that all hands must be on deck to promote the viability of each State, saying that Ogun State, being the investment destination of choice must continue to lead by example.
INEC, NDPC meet over data protection measures in election process
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has sought clarifications and sensitization on data protection from the Nigeria Data Protection Commission, NDPC.
This request was made during an interactive meeting between INEC and NDPC at the INEC headquarters. The meeting is aimed at ensuring the proper protection of the personal data of Nigerian citizens in INEC’s database.
The goal is to ensure adequate safeguards for citizens’ and voters’ personal data to ensure credible elections, INEC said.
The National Commissioner/CEO of NDPC, Dr Vincent Olatunji, commended the Chairman of INEC, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, for his willingness to implement measures to protect the personal data of Nigerian citizens and to comply with the Nigeria Data Protection Act.
“All of us are data subjects; INEC is a data controller. We must process data within the laws provided in the Nigeria Data Protection Act. Any data leakage here can lead to a lot of issues, with INEC being a data controller of major importance in Nigeria.”
The Chairman of INEC appreciated Dr Olatunji, emphasizing the importance of data protection. He noted that INEC stores the largest citizen database in Africa, with 93 million records from the last election.
“We have the most sensitive records of citizens, from their fingerprints and facial biometrics, across the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, male and female, young and old. It is better to start sensitization now before it’s too late.” He stressed the necessity for INEC to gain clarity on data protection to ensure compliance and informed practices.
Dr Olatunji emphasized the importance of data protection and the consequences of inadequate measures, especially for INEC as data controllers of major importance. He highlighted the potential consequences of non-compliance, including reputational damage, financial loss, and even death in extreme cases. He also spoke about the penalties for non-compliance: “It ranges between 10 million naira and 2 percent of your gross earnings. The CEO can even go to jail, which is why it is better for everybody to obey the law.”
He outlined what INEC is required to do in the area of compliance, including having a privacy policy, appointing a Data Protection Officer, DPO, at the headquarters and state levels, and engaging a Data Protection Compliance Organisation, DPCO, among other measures.
INEC, NDPC meet over data protection measures in election process
Abia to offset N18bn salary arrears
Abia State Government has reiterated its commitment to offset all outstanding salaries arrears owed to various tertiary institutions in the state by the immediate past government estimated at 18 billion naira.
The Commissioner for Information and Culture, Prince Okey Kanu, disclosed this on Monday
while briefing journalists on the outcome of this week’s Executive Council meeting presided over by Governor Alex Otti.
He revealed that the payments would commence in August with 1.5 billion Naira to be disbursed monthly over the next 12 months.
Kanu said the government had taken decisive steps to address the longstanding issues of monthly salary payment of staff of Abia State University with the recent meeting where the governor met with the Vice Chancellor and members of the University’s Governing Council to discuss and resolve their financial concerns.
The commissioner said the governor directed the Accountant General to ensure the immediate payment of all outstanding monthly salaries of ABSU staff for both verified and unverified staff members within the week.
“That meeting offered the governor, the opportunity to bring those lingering issues to an end. During the meeting, he directed the accountant general to ensure that within the week, all outstanding salaries are paid, and this will apply to both those that have been verified and those yet to be verified.
“The governor directed that the verification team be relocated to Abia State University to conclude all outstanding issues of staff verification,” Kanu stated.
While highlighting the governor’s commitment to improving the welfare of the university’s staff, the commissioner noted that the salaries for April, May, and June have already been paid.
“So there’s no gainsaying the fact the Governor is committed to enhancing the welfare of the university’s staff as never done before by previous administrations”, Prince Kanu pointed out.”
He said Otti also directed the Accountant General to meet with the heads of tertiary institutions to harmonize their overhead expenditure needs for the government to tackle them accordingly.
The commissioner, who also addressed the issue of security of lives and assets in the public schools across the state, said the governor mandated the Senior Special Adviser on Homeland Security to collaborate with the Ministry of Education to deploy homeland security personnel to provide round-the-clock security for all schools.
He pointed out that the initiative is part of the government’s strategy to safeguard both lives and the huge investments it is making in the educational sector.
US Secret Service Chief, Kimberly Cheatle, resigns
US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned on Tuesday, a day after acknowledging that the agency failed in its mission to prevent an assassination attempt against Donald Trump.
Cheatle was facing bipartisan calls to step down after a 20-year-old gunman wounded the former Republican president and current White House candidate at a July 13 campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“It is overdue, she should have done this at least a week ago,” Mike Johnson, the Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives, told reporters. “I’m happy to see that she has heeded the call of both Republicans and Democrats.”
President Joe Biden thanked Cheatle for her nearly three decades in the Secret Service and said she had “selflessly dedicated and risked her life to protect our nation throughout her career.”
“We all know what happened that day can never happen again,” Biden said in a statement. “As we move forward, I wish Kim all the best, and I will plan to appoint a new director soon.”
Cheatle appeared before a congressional oversight committee on Monday and said the attack on Trump, who was slightly wounded in his right ear, represented a failure by the Secret Service.
She called it “the most significant operational failure of the Secret Service in decades.”
Both Republicans and Democrats called on Cheatle to resign during a tense hearing. She drew the ire of lawmakers from both parties by refusing to provide specific details about the attack, citing the existence of multiple active investigations.
The gunman opened fire on Trump with an AR-style assault rifle just minutes after he began speaking at the campaign event.
Perched on the roof of a nearby building, he was shot dead by a Secret Service sniper less than 30 seconds after firing the first of eight shots.
Investigators have concluded the young man, who lived in a town about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Butler, acted alone, and have not been able to identify any strong ideological or political leanings.
Two rally attendees were seriously wounded in the attack and a 50-year-old Pennsylvania firefighter, Corey Comperatore, was shot dead.
Trump’s former physician said over the weekend that the Republican candidate sustained a two-centimeter (almost one inch) gunshot wound on his right ear.
“The bullet passed, coming less than a quarter of an inch from entering his head, and struck the top of his right ear,” said ex-White House physician Ronny Jackson.
Cheatle served as a Secret Service agent for 27 years before leaving in 2021 to become the head of security in North America for PepsiCo.
She was named to head the agency by President Joe Biden in 2022.
AFP
Threatening peaceful protesters unlawful, Amnesty Int’l warns
Amnesty International on Tuesday cautioned the Federal Government against threatening Nigerians planning to protest against the current hardship and hunger in the country.
The organisation in a post on X reacting to comments made by a presidential aide, Olusegun Dada, warned that threatening intended peaceful protesters is unlawful.
Dada had warned that intending destruction of the country in the guise of protest would meet the strongest resistance.
“Those who want to burn the country down under whatever guise will meet the strongest resistance of their lives. Not from security agencies, but from the silent majority that gave their mandate to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for four years in the first instance. We are waiting,” he posted on X on Tuesday.
However, reacting, AI stated Nigerians have the constitutional right to protest.
“Threatening peaceful protesters is unlawful. It is a clear attack on freedom of assembly — which is guaranteed by international law and Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution:
“Nigerians must not be denied the constitutionally and internationally guaranteed right to peaceful protest; through veiled threats of violence and false insinuations,” the post read.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu, on Tuesday appealed to Nigerians who plan to stage nationwide to shelve the plan.
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Otedola loses mother-in-law
Madam Cecilia Abosede Attah, the mother-in-law of billionaire businessman and Chairman of Geregu Power PLC, Femi Otedola, has passed away.
The news of her death was announced on X.com by Otedola’s daughter, Florence Otedola, popularly known as DJ Cuppy, on Tuesday.
In her post, DJ Cuppy expressed her grief and shared that, although the loss is painful, she finds solace in the belief that her grandmother is in heaven.
She highlighted the significant influence her grandmother had in shaping her mother and, consequently, herself.
“My mummy’s mother has passed away. I find comfort in knowing she’s in heaven, watching over us with love,” DJ Cuppy wrote.
“What a life she lived! I’m so grateful for the way she shaped my mum, who then shaped me.”
She continued, “I’m praying for my own during this sudden season of change, but we already know that our God is good all the time.
“Grandma Kaduna, your spirit lives on, guiding and comforting us. RIP.”
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BREAKING: Reps pass amended 2024 budget of N35.055trn
The House of Representatives has passed through Third Reading a bill seeking to increase the 2024 Appropriation from N28.7 trillion to N35.055 trillion.
The resolution was passed during the consideration and adoption of Clauses 1 to 13, at the Committee of Supply as recommended by the House Committee on Appropriation.
Breakdown of the proposed N35,055,536,770,218 for 2024 fiscal year, showed that the sum of N1,742,786,788,150 is for Statutory Transfers; N8,270,960,606,831 is for Debt Service; N11,268,513,380,853 is for Recurrent Expenditure while the sum of N13,773,275,994,384 is for contribution to the Development Fund for Capital Expenditure for the year ending 31st December, 2024.
Details soon…
BREAKING: Reps pass amended 2024 budget of N35.055trn
Any attempt to suppress right to peaceful protest unconstitutional
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has defended the constitutional right of Nigerian citizens to engage in peaceful protest, amid growing economic challenges and reports of planned demonstrations.
In a statement on Tuesday via X, Atiku emphasised the legal basis for public demonstrations, saying, “For the avoidance of doubt, the rights of citizens to protest are enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution and affirmed by our courts.”
He cited Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution, which “unequivocally guarantees the right to peaceful assembly and association.”
The former Vice President criticised attempts to discourage or prevent protests, saying, “Chasing shadows and contriving purported persons behind the planned protests is an exercise in futility when it is obvious that Nigerians, including supporters of Tinubu and the ruling APC, are caught up in the hunger, anger, and hopelessness brought about by the incompetence and cluelessness of this government.”
Atiku also highlighted what he sees as hypocrisy among those currently in power
He said, “It is deeply ironic that those who now seek to stifle these rights were themselves leading protests in 2012.”
The statement further called on the government to fulfil its responsibilities in safeguarding citizens’ rights.
“A responsible government must ensure a safe and secure environment for citizens to exercise their constitutionally guaranteed rights to peaceful protest,” Atiku stated.
He further warned about the implications of suppressing protests.
“Any attempt to suppress these rights is not only unconstitutional but a direct affront to our democracy,” he added.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday appealed to Nigerians who plan to stage nationwide hunger protests to shelve the plan.
He also called on citizens to give his administration enough time to respond to their requests.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, revealed this to State House Correspondents after closed-door talks with President Tinubu at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, on Tuesday.
He said, “On the issue of the planned protest, Mr. President does not see any need for that. He asked them to shelve that plan and he has asked them to await government’s response to all their pleas.
“So, there is no need for strike. The young people out there should listen to the President and allow the President more time to see to the realisation of all the goodies he has for them.”
His comments come days after calls for nationwide protests from August 1-10 against the rising cost of living and the economic hardship.