A Federal High Court in Abuja has directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to restore the three political parties that it deregistered in 2012. The parties are the Peoples Redemption Party PRP), the Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) and the Better Nigeria Progressive Party (bnpp).
Justice Adeniyi Ademola who gave the order said that the parties were deregistered without being given fair hearing from INEC.
He said that it is unconstitutional, invalid, null and void the provisions of section 78(7) (ii) of the Electoral Act 2010, which INEC relied on to deregister the parties. [myad]
Chelsea Football Club has parted ways with its Coach, Jose Mourinho, because of what the club described as poor runs in recent times.
The club in a statement today, said that the parting of ways was based on mutual consent.
The club also said that Mourinho would be welcome anytime in the future.
The statement reads in full: “Chelsea Football Club and Jose Mourinho have today parted company by mutual consent.
“All at Chelsea thank Jose for his immense contribution since he returned as manager in the summer of 2013.
“His three league titles, FA Cup, Community Shield and three League Cup wins over two spells make him the most successful manager in our 110-year history. But both Jose and the board agreed results have not been good enough this season and believe it is in the best interests of both parties to go our separate ways.
“The club wishes to make clear Jose leaves us on good terms and will always remain a much-loved, respected and significant figure at Chelsea. His legacy at Stamford Bridge and in England has long been guaranteed and he will always be warmly welcomed back to Stamford Bridge.
“The club’s focus is now on ensuring our talented squad reaches its potential.
“There will be no further comment until a new appointment is made.” [myad]
The Senate has confirmed that no fewer than three million Nigerians are currently living illegally in the United Kingdom.
It also debunk the news making the rounds that the British government had planned to deport 29, 000 Nigerians.
Chairman, Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Senator Monsurat Sunmonu, speaking after a meeting with officials of the Nigeria Immigration Service at the National Assembly, explained that the Assistant Deputy Comptroller –General, Investigations, Intelligence and Enforcement, of the NIS, Mr. T. A Hundeyin, also confirmed that the 48 Nigerians recently deported from the United Kingdom committed various types of crimes and had served prison terms.
“The Asst. Deputy Comptroller just confirmed to us now that it is not true that 29, 000 Nigerians are being deported from the United Kingdom or that the UK government intends to deport 29, 000 Nigerians.
“He (however) said that only 48 Nigerians were deported and he had shown us their names and records that actually confirmed that they had all served their prison sentences so that is why they are being deported”
The senator added: “about three million Nigerians are illegally living in the United Kingdom and that if three million Nigerians are living there illegally, and they are only removing just 48 people confirmed to have committed crime and jailed, then the situation is not too bad.
“We will not relent in our efforts on checking and doing our oversight functions. If it requires for us to go there and visit them, and to ask questions, we won’t mind to go there and to give Nigerians and to give them the history and the records of what we find out.” [myad[
Akwa Ibom state governor, Dr. Udom Emmanuel has assured agricultural entrepreneurs of adequate funding of their small holdings to make them to be self reliant. The governor said that agric sector development would also create more jobs for the teaming populace. The governor, who spoke at the First Ekid Economic and Enterprise Summit (FEEES) organized by Ekid People Progressive League at Eket, said that the problem of this generation is not ideas but funding. Udom, who spoke through the state Commissioner for Economic Development, Dr. Emmanuel Ating Owuoduokit, noted that innovative ideas will attract funding either from the government or the private sector in State. He challenged the people to look beyond the ordinary to uncover numerous opportunities that abound in the agricultural sector, even as the government had created an enabling environment for businesses to thrive. According to him, any small holders group that exceled in their agricultural entrepreneurship will be recognized as a Dakkada ambassador and assisted financially. He said that the First Ekid Economic and Enterprise Summit (FEEES) is one such fora to generate ideas and attract corporate funding in the agricultural business. In his remarks, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dr. Matthew Ekaette, stressed the need to think beyond oil and to diversify our economy to agriculture which had sustained the economy of different countries for decades. Dr. Ekaette noted, the theme of the summit “Industrialization: Existing and Emerging Opportunities in Agric Business in Akwa Ibom State” is apt and should be given centerstage if we must achieve economic growth of our state. He regretted that agriculture had been abandoned for decades in preference for oil revenue and sued for a paradigm shift. Earlier in his welcome address, the Chairman of Ekid People Progressive League, Rev. Daniel Akwatang disclosed the purpose of the summit was to draw attention of the people to the vast opportunities in agric business. The league intends to use the summit to draw attention and enlighten the people on the vast opportunities in agric business. “we aim to draw attention of our people to the vast opportunities in agric business as a bold step to enlighten our people to pursue agricultural industrialization and support the food sufficiency focus of this administration.” his words Papers were presented at the one day summit by experts in agric business amongst them Prof. Edet Udo, Chairman Akwa Ibom State Food Sufficiency Committee and Prof. Funsho Sonaiya, Co-chairman of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Projects for Asia, America and Africa. [myad]
The Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has paid compensation worth over N302 million to people whose property will be acquired for the ongoing road construction of Olaiya/Ita Olokan in Osogbo. Aregbesola who was represented by the Deputy Governor, Mrs. Grace Titi-Laoye gave the reassurance while distributing cheques worth N302,966,974.02 to the affected families in the state capital. He said that his administration will leave no stone unturned at making life more pleasant, comfortable, meaningful and prosperous for the citizenry in spite of the current dwindling allocation to the state from the Federation Account. Aregbesola disclosed that his administration has so far spent over N2 billion as compensation for people whose property was acquired for road projects. The Governor said that all his administrative policies and programmes are aimed at promoting the general wellbeing of the citizenry, and that all the ongoing projects would be completed before the expiration of his administration. Aregbesola stressed that the only panacea to the negative effects of current economic hardship was for government at all levels to see the need to improve their state Internally Generated Revenue through tax payment. He enjoined all and sundry to assist government by paying their taxes. He advised the beneficiaries of the compensation to use the money judiciously by getting a more comfortable shelter. “It is important to explain the funding of this project. In the history of Osun, no government has surpassed our record in term of welfare of the workers. The records are there. Despite the financial challenges, we are struggling hard to meet our obligations regarding the payment of workers salaries. “When we came to office in 2010, we enacted a law which will allow us save10 percent of the total revenue of the state for the incoming generations and when things appeared difficult, we approached the State House of Assembly to amend the law in other to access the savings to fund this road project which is critical to the economic development of the state. “Since inception, we have paid over N1 Billion to the people affected by separation within and outside the state capital. The disbursement is not in any way easy but as a government, we have responsibilities to pay compensation to those who have genuine claims to reduce their suffering.” Speaking earlier, the Ataoja of Osogbo Land, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji commended the state governor for the rapid development of the state capital which he described as unprecedented since the creation of the state and urged the affected people to cooperate with government. He said those who lost property have paid utmost sacrifice for development adding that their family will be remembered for life in the history of Osogbo land. Adepoju Almorruf commended the transparent process of the compensation and assured the government of maximum cooperation of the resident in the process of the construction. [myad]
There was a drama today when a Magistrate in Wuse Zone 2, Abuja, Shuaibu Usman, discharged the Director of Radio Biafra and Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, on all counts of criminal conspiracy and ownership of an unlawful society brought against him by the federal government but was re-arrested outside the court premises by the operatives of the State Security Service.
The Magistrate had ruled: “The accused person is hereby discharged and the case struck out.”
But the Department of State Services (DSS), which had announced its withdrawal of the case at the lower court, re-arrested Kanu to be charged for the same offence at a higher court, which it said has jurisdiction to entertain charges bordering on terrorism.
The DSS had detained Kanu for at least 90 days despite an order of the magistrate court granting him bail in October.
After the lower court granted him bail, the DSS got an order of the federal high court, Abuja, to keep the leader of IPOB in detention.
However, his lawyer, Vincent Obetta, filed a counter application, seeking bail for the accused person.
Meanwhile, Justice of the Federal High Court, Abuja, Adeniyi Ademola, is expected to rule on the bail application tomorrow.
Since, the arrest and detention of Kanu by Nigeria’s secret Police, in Lagos, on Saturday, October 17, wave of protests, engineered by IPOB, as well as members of the Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) had swept through the South-East and parts of the South-South, demanding an immediate and unconditional release of Kanu. [myad]
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu has given assurance that two out of Nigeria’s four refineries will begin production in the next two weeks.
According to the minister, two of the refineries might be re-streamed before the end of December, saying: “efforts are on to engage private investors to build new refineries within the old ones to enable the refineries share power, pipelines and other resources.”
The minister said that the issue of funding which had been identified as a major challenge to the sector would be addressed with adequate collaboration with the private and international investors.
Kacikwu said the average gas to power generation is about 3,000 megawatts and domestic gas supply of one billion standard cubic feet (scf) with the contribution of 600 million standard cubic feet from NPDC.
He added that the new agenda for the Oil and Gas Industry would be centered on having the right people, doing the right things, at the right time, adding that this would be for the right purpose to yield the right results.
Kachikwu said the petroleum sector, under his watch, would ensure that the Nigeria Content policy would transform the Oil and Gas industry into the economic engine for job creation and national growth.
He said that he was obliged to cancel the Offshore Processing Agreements (OPAs), crude-for-products-exchange arrangement (popularly known swap) and other unprofitable product and crude arrangements, all in a bid to avoid rent seekers.
He said the cancellation would help to add value to the Nigerian hydrocarbon resources.
On the downstream sector, the minister advocated for the introduction of a private sector model that would reinvigorate the efficient supply and distribution of petroleum products, especially in the area of pipeline assets.
“The menace of pipeline vandalism has led to huge losses of crude and petroleum products; 27,967 incidents of pipeline vandalism were recorded in the last few years.” he said. [myad]
Spain’s Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, suffered a scare today when a 17-year-old youth punched him in the face during a campaign appearance in his northwestern fiefdom of Galicia, breaking his eye glasses.
A source in his ruling conservative Popular Party, who refused to be named, said the 60-year-old conservative Spanish leader was walking through the city of Pontevedra on the latest stop of his push for re-election in Sunday polls when the incident happened.
The source said the teen approached and hit him, “knocking off and breaking his glasses,” adding that Rajoy was fine and had continued his walk through the city.
A police source, who also refused to be named, said the alleged aggressor was a 17-year-old and had been detained.
A video of the incident shows the youth, wearing a black jacket and sporting a crew cut, punching the prime minister hard on the left side of his face before being wrestled to the ground.
A photo posted after the incident picture Rajoy without his glasses, red marks on the left of his face and neck.
The incident came at an eventful time for the electoral campaign, marked by a debate of rare ferocity on Monday, which saw the usually calm Rajoy slam his main rival Pedro Sanchez of the opposition Socialists as “a miserable wretch” when he questioned his integrity.
Sanchez wanted to know why the premier had not resigned over corruption allegations that have swirled since he took office in 2011. [myad]
President Muhammadu Buhari has said the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has been universally acclaimed as a model regional economic community. The President who addressed the 48th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Summit of Heads of State and Government in Abuja today, explained that the Organization has recorded concrete achievements which loudly speak for themselves. Buhari noted however that in spite of the significant achievements, the Community still faces numerous challenges, adding that while some of such challenges militate against the integration drive, others continue to pose risks to peace and security, as well as political stability in the region. “There are also structural and administrative challenges in running the Commission that equally require serious attention. “Security challenges persist in our region as we continue to be confronted with the daunting scourge of transnational organized crime including arms trafficking, drug trafficking, as well as piracy and criminality at sea. “Equally worrying is the rising scourge of violent extremism and terrorism. All this constitute serious threats to peace and security in the region, and therefore require our urgent and concerted actions. “Regional and indeed global solidarity is vital in our efforts to counter these threats. To this end, we must continue to enhance our system of governance and, working with our partners, accelerate the implementation of our joint initiatives and mechanisms created to address these daunting but not insurmountable risks. “As we do so, we should not relent in our effort to engage with member states coming out of crises, in order to help them to consolidate on the achievements made.” President Buhari said that the catastrophic consequences of climate change are manifest in the region, saying that a number of fragilities, conflicts and environmental degradation that affect the member countries today with serious negative impact on peace, security, economy and livelihoods are either directly or indirectly triggered by climate change. He said that no country could alone be able to reverse or stop some of these consequences, as it requires huge investment of resources far beyond our capabilities. “We should therefore continue to press for international assistance and to work with the rest of the world to protect the environment. We should do so without loosing focus on our industrial development objectives. Our efforts to fast track regional integration should also be informed by the requirement for clean source of energy. In this regard, I welcome the agreed outcome of the just concluded COP21 in Paris, which aims at reducing global warming and providing for financial support to developing nations.” “We must also continue to cooperate with our development partners, and take advantage of their willingness to support our initiatives to address all these challenges in the most appropriate and beneficial ways to our region and to global peace and security.” Buhari said that Nigeria would like to see that on-going reforms in ECOWAS institutions are concluded and firmly entrenched to ensure greater effectiveness in leading the integration process. “We would like to see that the resources of the Community are devoted to the implementation of economic programs that would enable us build a prosperous region.” He expressed his strong belief in the vast potentialities of the region, stressing that he remains confident that under the leadership of the Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government, Macky Sall, President of the Republic of Senegal, the Community will continue to make steady progress towards achieving the goals for which it was founded. [myad]
Two young students of the Ibn Mas’Ud Islamic Centre, Kuje in the Federal Capital Territory, Ustaz Suleiman Muhammed Bello and Ustaz Ahmad Adam graduated at the weekend, with memorization of the complete Holy Qur’an. Their graduation was part of an elaborate ceremony put together by the proprietor of the multi-purpose school, Sheikh Junaidu Bunza at the Kuje township hall, and attracted many Islamic scholars, technocrats, prominent politicians and traditional rulers. [myad]
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A Federal High Court in Abuja has directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to restore the three political parties that it deregistered in 2012. The parties are the Peoples Redemption Party PRP), the Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) and the Better Nigeria Progressive Party (bnpp).
