The Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke has said that he is the first executive Governor of Osun State to practice both Islam and Christianity. Governor Adeleke, who spoke in a media chat at the public enlightenment tagged: IPADE IMOLE, second edition, held in Ilesa, said: “I go to the mosque and church to worship God. I believe that we worship the same God and there must be no room for religious bigotry and dichotomy.” The governor said that he would soon become Alhaji and Prophet, assuring that all religions would be taken care of in his administration. He assured both Christians and Muslims in the state that no religion would be neglected in the delivery of dividends of democracy. The Governor promised Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Osun State Council, that he would involve them positively in his administration and make their work easier. He asked them to be objective and truthful in their reportage, saying that he has done a lot in the area of infrastructure development, Workers’ welfare, pensioners, education, women affairs, health sector, cooperative and empowerment, among others. He promised to continue in the effort to change the face of the state, even as he flagged-off dualisation of Ilesa-brewery Akure express road and fly-over at roundabout, Ilesa.
”And once charges are in court, it’s no longer the agency (Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) that will arrest. It is the court that will issue summons against Yahaya Bello. “And when Yahaya Bello does not appear, then EFCC will apply to the court for a bench warrant to bring him to come and answer charges. These are the steps he has to take.” This is the verdict of the former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Michael Aondoakaa, while featuring on Arise Television interview program today, May 3. Aondoakka, who is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), advised the EFCC not to disregard the rule of law while carrying out its duties. ”The EFCC ought to take orders from the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the enabling law. And the only people that interpret the enabling law are the judges. ”In this case, the only order EFCC will follow now is the order made by the trial judge of Kogi High Court, which gave directions on how EFCC will proceed to arraign Yahaya Bello. The former number one law officer in the country insisted that the EFCC made a fundamental error in the first place by including Yahaya Bello in a charge relating to events predating his tenure as governor. According to Aondoakka, through legal recourse, Bello sought to enforce his fundamental human rights based on the flawed charge brought against him by the EFCC. ”I think the controversy was unnecessary in case of Yahaya Bello. Because some of the details that are coming up are unnecessary. ”There was an ongoing case with Yahaya Bello to enforce his fundamental human rights. It was based on one particular case, which the EFCC amended a charge and included him. That is charge number 5502022, pending before the federal high court in Abuja. ”At the accusation in that charge, I think there was an error by EFCC. The error was that he was being roped there because he was governor, but they referred 2015. In 2015, the man said, I was not even a governor. I was a governor in 2016. ”That was a premise he went to enforce his fundamental rights before a state high court, which the state high court and the federal high court have concurrent jurisdiction to enforce fundamental human rights. ”When he enforced the fundamental right, there was interlocutory order restraining EFCC not to arrest him pending the hearing of the case. “Then the second aspect of the judge, the Kogi High Court say that if you want to have any additional charges to file against Yahaya Bello, don’t arrest him, but file him the charges in court. ”And so once charges are filed in court, the agency cannot arrest. It is the court that will issue the summons and serve on Yahaya Bello. And it’s the court that will now, if he doesn’t show up, the court can issue a bench warrant for his arrest. ”So I’m thinking, and it’s the most wise thing to do in this matter, is to follow the order of the court, the Federal High Court. I don’t even see it necessary to appeal the order because I see the order being well-balanced.” Making a reference to the recent judgment delivered by Justice Modipwe, which clarified the legal standing of the case, Aondoakka said that the judgment emphasized that Yahaya Bello should not be arrested or detained, and instead, the court should issue summons for him to appear regarding the pending charge. The former Attorney General urged the EFCC to adhere to the court’s directives and legal procedures, saying however that Yahaya Bello, like any other citizen, is subject to the law. He advised EFCC to follow the prescribed legal procedures outlined by the court and affirmed that Bello, despite his status, must be treated in accordance with the law.
The Commander General of the Kano State Hisbah Board, Sheikh Aminu Daurawa has announced that in the upcoming mass wedding in the state, 50 women have been allocated for journalists to have their loved ones participate if they desire. The Commandant General, who spoke to newsmen today, May 2, said that the board has decided to extend the invitation to interested members of professional groups and trade unions. The last mass wedding recorded about 1,800 couples. Sheikh Aminu Ibrahim Daurawa said: “we have allocated 50 slots to journalists and other members of the media who are interested in participating in the mass wedding program.” He said that the board would also include legal practitioners and health workers in the next exercise. The Commandant General said that the essence of the mass wedding program is to entrench moral values in society and reduce immorality among young men and women. Sheikh Daurawa called on Hisbah personnel across the 44 local government areas of the state to re-commit themselves to the job or resign. He reminded them that Hisbah management has since provided written guidelines to help operatives understand their roles and responsibilities. He said that the Hisbah board has collaborated with Yusuf Maitama Sule University, Kano (YUMSUK), Amine Kano College of Islamic Legal Studies, Sa’adatu Rimi University of Education and the Department of Islamic Studies at Bayero University, Kano (BUK) to establish a Hisbah Academy. He said that when established, the Hisbah Academy would be an institution where formal knowledge and skills pertaining to Hisbah work would be taught and certificates would be awarded to its graduates.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Adeyemi Adaramodu, has made it clear that the issue of minimum age for admission of students into Nigerian’s universities has no place in law of the country. Speaking yesterday, May I, in an interview with journalists, Senator Adeyemi said that the statements making the rounds on the increase of the age limit to 18 years are individual viewpoints. According to him, any adjustments to the age limit would require proper legislative procedures, whether they involve lowering or raising the limit. “Comment on the minimum age requirement for admission is not a law,” the lawmaker said. “So it is just an opinion. It’s not a law. By the time the Senate resumes, whoever wants to bring that one out to make it a law, will now bring it and then the procedures will take place. “You can bring whatever to the floor in form of a bill. When you bring it, there’s going to be public hearing. “All the stakeholders will sit down and talk about it. The parents, teachers, legislators, civil society organisations, even foreign organisations. “We will sit down and talk. Even if they say that the minimum age should be 30 or 12, we will all discuss it in an open forum. So it’s still a comment which cannot be taken to be the law.” Only last week, the Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, had said that the government is thinking about changing the minimum age for entering universities to 18 years old.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyeson Wike has said that part of the measures to tackle insecurity in the nation’s capital city is the acquisition of drones. He said that it is part of the administration’s procurement process to have drones. The minister, who received in audience today, May 2, a delegation from the Consulate General of Hungary, led by the Consul General, Endre P. Deri on a courtesy visit, said that he had handed the details of the acquisition of the drones to security people who are in charge. “I will let them have a discussion with your people so that they will identify the type of drones that will be effective and efficient in our own area and how we intend to use them, which areas we intend to use them. “So, I will let them have a contact with your people. “I can tell you that the issue of security for us is a priority, in terms of the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda. Wike said that the FCT is safer now, having been able to address security challenges it faced in the recent past. He said that there is an ongoing process for the procurement of more security equipment for the security agencies which Hungary can key in. “Security has been an issue but by the grace of God, we’ve been able to reduce the level of insecurity. “You can attest to the fact that Abuja is safer now because of the way we have been able to tackle the issue.”
Vice President Kashim Shettima received female doctors who he sponsored to study Medicine and Surgery abroad in 2014, during his tenure as Governor of Borno State. They were on a thank-you visit to him in Maiduguri recently. Fifty of the 60 of them who were so sponsored are now working for the Borno State Government.
A legal activist and Constitutional Lawyer, Wilfred Molokun has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to stop media trial of immediate past governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello. He said that it is absurd for an agency charged with responsibility of enforcing all economic and financial crimes laws to throw over board the rule of law in its desperation to prosecute and humiliate a former governor. Molokun, a legal practitioner of over three decades in practice, made the call while fielding questions on judgement of Kogi State High Court delivered on April 17, 2024 by Justice Isa Jamil Abdullahi, who granted an order restraining the EFCC “from continuing to harass, threaten to arrest or detain” Bello based on the criminal charges now pending before the federal high court in Abuja. Molokun said that decorum and decency should be the order of the day, stressing that EFCC should allow the trial court judge of the Federal High Court who is seized of the matter to make a ruling on Bello application seeking to vacate the warrant of arrest, essentially as the court has now been adequately addressed by both parties on the issues. According to him, the rule of law should reign supreme in the conduct of citizens including corporate bodies like EFCC. Recalled that the Federal High Court had fixed May 10 for ruling on Yahaya Bello’s application seeking to vacate the arrest warrant made on April 17, 2024. Bello application was argued on April 23, 2024 before justice Emeka Nwite by Adeola Adedipe, SAN, while Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, who represented the EFCC vehemently opposed it. In his argument, Adedipe had pointed out the need for the court to set aside the arrest warrant. According to the Senior Advocate, the arrest warrant order, having been made before the charge ought to be set aside suo motu (on its own accord, without any request by the parties involved). Particularly, as the agency had on April 18, made an application for a substituted service of its bundles of charge and proof of evidence against Bello after the ex-governor’s lead lawyer, Abdulwahab Mohammed, SAN, declined to receive the documents in the open court. The senior lawyer further argued that contrary to Pinheiro’s submission that the ex-governor must be in court first before any application could be entertained being a criminal case, the anti-graft agency had made an application on April 18 after the warrant arrest was issued to EFCC on April 17 and that the court granted it. According to Adedipe, the complainant made an application for substituted service on 18th day of April after the arrest warrant had been issued on 17th day of April and my noble lord granted it. The defendant counsel said: “the court must satisfy itself that the defendant (Bello) will not be prejudiced in fairness if the warrant of arrest continues to hang on his neck, having been made before service of the charge contrary to Section 394 of ACJA.”
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Hamidu Sarki Gaube, has been killed by suspected kidnappers in Gaube in Kuje Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. Report reaching us at Greenbarge Reporters online newspaper and hardcopy magazine said that in the operation, the assailants went away with one Jacob Jawo alongside his son and late Gaube’s younger brother. It was gathered that late Hamidu, popularly known by his traditional title of Talba, was returning to Kuje from his farm in Gaube last night, May I, along with the three others when the kidnappers opened fire on him directly, leading to the car summersaulting into the bush. The deceased, who contested for the chairmanship of Kuje Area Council under the APC in 2022 election, died instantly on the spot. Details of the incident are still sketchy at the time of filing this report. The deceased was laid to rest at Kuje burial ground today, May 2, 2024.
President Bola Tinubu has expressed his “strong belief in fair wages and enhanced welfare for the Nigerian workers.” He insists that workers, whom he described as “the custodians of the nation’s machinery” deserve a fair wage and enhanced welfare and that a labourer is deserving of not just any reward but fair and commensurate wages. In a message to congratulate Nigerian workers on the occasion of Workers’ Day today, May 1, the President assured the workers of his dedication to not only improving their welfare but also enhancing their working conditions and providing the necessary tools for them to succeed. He acknowledged that Nigerian workers have displayed fidelity to the peace, progress and development of the nation which is “evident in their tireless efforts and patriotic zeal to keep the national engine running.” He expressed appreciation to workers across all spheres, “from the clerical officer who ensures the proper documentation and distribution of correspondence; the security officer who remains ever dutiful through all seasons; the teacher who secures the future of our nation by imparting knowledge to the next generation; the doctor who works relentlessly to save precious lives, and to all Nigerian workers who keep the candle aflame.” The President assured that his administration is ever committed to improving the welfare of all workers, and that there have been various relief programmes, including the wage award and the imminent minimum wage review.
The Federal Government has approved 25 per cent and 35 per cent of salary increase for civil servants on the remaining six Consolidated Salary Structures. The Head of Press, National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC), Emmanuel Njoku, made this known yesterday, April 30, in Abuja. In a statement, Njoku said: “The Federal Government has approved an increase of between 25 per cent and 35 per cent in salary increase for Civil Servants on the remaining six Consolidated Salary Structures. ”They include Consolidated Public Service Salary Structure (CONPSS), Consolidated Research and Allied Institutions Salary Structure (CONRAISS) and Consolidated Police Salary Structure (CONPOSS). “Others are Consolidated Para-military Salary Structure (CONPASS). Consolidated Intelligence Community Salary Structure (CONICCS) and Consolidated Armed Forces Salary Structure (CONAFSS). “The increases will take effect from January 1.” According to Njoku, the Federal Government has also approved increases in pension of between 20 per cent and 28 per cent for pensioners on the Defined Benefits Scheme. He said that this is in respect of the above-mentioned six consolidated salary structures and would also take effect from January 1. He said that the move was in line with the provisions of Section 173(3) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended). The official recalled that those in the Tertiary Education and Health Sectors had already received their increases. “This involves Consolidated University Academic Salary Structure (CONUASS) and Consolidated Tertiary Institutions Salary Structure (CONTISS) for universities. “For Polytechnics and Colleges of Education, it involves the Consolidated Polytechnics and Colleges of Education Academic Staff Salary Structure (CONPCASS) and Consolidated Tertiary Educational Institutions Salary Structure (CONTEDISS). ”The Health Sector also benefitted through the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) and Consolidated Health Sector Salary Structure (CONHESS).” Source: NAN.
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