A Chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Baba Dala Fika has been shortlisted for the award of the prestigious title of the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).
Baba Fika, who is the former legal adviser to the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), is among well grounded lawyers who have been so marked down by the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC) for the prestigious status in the Nigeria’s legal sector.
Baba Fika was a member of the APC National Screening Committee that screened and cleared Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to contest the 2023 General election.
He was enrolled as Solicitor and Advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria on 3rd November, 1988.
He is currently the Principal Partner of Bahama Chambers, Baba Dala & Co.,located in Guzape, Abuja.
He is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators of the United Kingdom; a Certified Capital Market Solicitor of Nigeria; a Professional member of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria and a member of the Nigeria Business Forum.
The legal luminary is a specialist in Project Finance Practice.

The Kogi State Commissioner for Health, Abdullazeez Adam, has said that the government is fully alert to combat cholera which has been ravaging some states in the country for the past couple of months.
He told newsmen in Lokoja, the state capital that so far, only two cases have been confirmed with one victim treated and discharged.
“The other victim is doing well on treatment.
“As far as Kogi is concerned, we had only two cases of cholera. Until people report it, samples taken for test and confirmation obtained by undergoing culture in the laboratory, we may not know the other cases.
“If we want to know the type, samples must be taken and sent to the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Abuja.
“As earlier mentioned, as for the recent Cholera outbreak in the country, up until Wednesday, June 26, we had just one recorded case, which is counted.
“If it’s not reported, one can’t say there’s any. Unreported case, means, when someone is sick and is stooling, yet have not gone to hospital or any health facility but resolved to taking ORS or drugs while at home, it can’t be counted.
“If it’s suspected, reported and confirmed, then it can be counted as a case, else it won’t.
“Those cases they have in Lagos and FCT, Abuja, were reported and confirmed cases in health facilities and hospitals.”
The Commissioner said that drastic measures have been taken to ensure that the disease is brought under control.
“Thank God here in Kogi, we have Disease Surveillance and Notification Officers in all our wards in the 21 local government areas,
”They are always on alert to report any case of disease outbreak to the appropriate quarters.
“We also have jingles that are ongoing on Radio and Television (TV) stations, Handbills with messages in the three dominant tribes in the state including Hausa and English languages.”
He advised members of the public to report any suspected case of Cholera and maintain good hygiene.
“Before now, we had trained people on how to identify cases that can be termed epidemic, because Lassa Fever dealt with us recently.
”Kogi was among states with Lassa Fever cases, so we trained people on how to identify such diseases or any outbreak at any time to the appropriate quarters.
“We have medical consumables on reserve in our Drug Central Medical Store ready for deployment to places in need in time of outbreaks.
”Just recently, the Federal Government, through the NCDC, sent some drugs to us to help address any such cases of Cholera outbreak in the state. They are well kept in our Drug Central Medical Store for distribution when necessary.”
The Commissioner said that state health officials have been sensitising and enlightening people on the need for them to keep good hygiene by living in clean environments, drinking potable water, and avoiding open defecation.
He said that the government had come to realize that open defecation, bad drinking water and dirty environments are main causes of Cholera.
”And, as such drastic measures have been taken to discourage people from open defecation to health ward ward the outbreak of Cholera and other diseases amongst our populace.
“Our health officers are always out, monitoring people’s houses to ensure that those of them that have no toilets must provide one for the people living there.
“We believe these measures would go a long way at ensuring healthy living amongst our people. Health, they say, is wealth, more so that prevention is better than cure.
“I can generally conclude that though Kogi is fully prepared to deal with the Cholera disease, we have but just one case as we speak.”

The Chief Magistrates’ Court in Ibadan the Oyo State capital has discharged 12 Students of Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo State over alleged murder.
The Chief Magistrate, Olabisi Ogunkanmi, who set them free, had earlier ordered all the 25 students to be remanded in a correctional facility in Ibadan, pending the outcome of legal advice.
The 12 Students who were discharged today , July 1, are Kehinde Martins, Samuel Okorie, Mustapha Khalid, Yusuf Adeniran, Joseph Areoye, Iyanuoluwa Oyelakin, Obaloluwa Olalekan, Emmanuel Adejumobi, John Daudu, Moses Abiola, Hammad Tijani and David Kolawole.
The Magistrate held that the legal advice indicated that the 12 students should not be charged with any offence as there was no evidence linking any of them with the offences alleged to have been committed.
One of the 25 defendants, who is a security guard at the university, Femi Oladoye, earlier charged with negligence of duty, was granted bail in the sum of N250,000, with two sureties in like sum.
Ogunkanmi, thereafter, adjourned the case to July 8 for mention.
Earlier, the Prosecutor, CSP Funke Fawole, had told the court that the defendants committed the offence on May 24 at about 9 p.m at the afore-mentioned university.
Fawole said that the defendants unlawfully caused the death of one 22-year-old Jefry Akro, a student of the university, by beating him with planks and electrical wire.
She said that Oladoye, as a security guard, however failed to prevent the aggrieved students from beating Akro to death.
She said that the offences contravened Sections 516, 515 and 324 of the Criminal Laws of Oyo State, 2000.
Source: The Eagle online.

Chairman of the Independent National Electrical Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu has educated the new Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) on the electoral Processes and procedures they must adhere to.
Speaking today, July 1, at a retreat for the new RECs in Lagos, Professor Mahmood told them to concentrate in contributing to mitigate recurring challenges in the areas of pre-election and post-election litigations, operational issues especially in the area of logistics.
He wanted them to ensure an improvement on voter education processes and on issues of strategic communication and combating fake news, misinformation and disinformation.
Professor Mahmood stressed the importance of what he called “inclusivity” in the electoral process, voter registration and allotting voters to polling units.
He wanted them to pay attention to the role of technology from pre-election activities to Election Day processes; political party issues, mainly arising from leadership crisis and the management of party primaries.
The recruitment and training of election duty officials, election security and the Commission’s code of conduct, he said, are also important.
INEC Boss said that there is always something new to learn in a well organised retreat like the one being held.
“Always bear in mind that the cardinal objective is improved service delivery.”
He said that retreat for INEC, is not just about induction of new appointees but also an opportunity to review performance, reappraise processes, discuss innovations, engage service providers, interface with lawmakers on critical areas of reform and explore new frontiers in continuous effort to improve organisational capacity for better service delivery.
“Today, we are holding another retreat to induct 10 new RECs: nine of them were sworn-in on 12th December 2023 and one of them on 30th January 2024. In a matter of weeks after the swearing-in, many of the of the new RECs were saddled with the task of conducting re-run elections in a few locations in some constituencies or bye-elections in entire constituencies.
“The reality of the work we do in INEC is that there is no election season in Nigeria at all. Elections are held all-year round in addition to numerous electoral activities such as voter registration. Even today’s retreat is holding against the background of forthcoming governorship elections in Edo State in the next 81 days and Ondo State in the 137 days. In addition, there are five pending bye-elections for Babura/Garki Federal Constituency of Jigawa State and four State constituencies: Khana II of Rivers State, Bagwai/Shanono of Kano State, Zaria Kewaye of Kaduna State and Ganye of Adamawa State. These outstanding bye-elections bring the total of such elections to 14 since the inauguration of the national and state assemblies in June last year.
“Looking forward, there are four major elections before the next General Election in 2027. The Anambra State Governorship election next year will be followed in 2026 by the Ekiti and Osun State Governorship elections and, I must remind you in case you forget, the Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Therefore, as we think, reflect and innovate for credible elections, we are also instantly implementing the reforms and innovations that we can introduce by administrative action. Since election is a process governed by law, we also plan to intensify our engagement with the National Assembly for activities that require legal reform.”