President of the African Children Talent Discovery Foundation (ACTDF), Dr. Noah Dallaji, has called on Nigerians to maintain peace following the conduct of the presidential and National Assembly elections.

Dallaji, who made the call after voting at his Wornu1 Pry School Polling unit 015, Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of Bauchi State, noted the emotion and interest generated by the historic election, saying the outcome would be a major test of the nation's democracy.
He, however, said the election can only produce one president as he urged Nigerians to be peaceful and act in accordance with the spirit of national unity.

He also alluded to the unusual presence of notable international observers which, he said, was an indication of how critical the election and outcome was to the world, adding that such importance should also be reflected in the conduct of all citizens as a mark of the nation's democratic advancement.

"Of course, the tension and interest generated by this year's election is quite understandable. That's the spirit of all elections anywhere and in particular the level of competition in this election.

Yet, in the midst of it all, it is incumbent on all Nigerians to maintain peace and forge unity as basis for a better tomorrow.

"In spite of some reported hitches and delays, I think we should have an overall outcome that reflects the wishes of the people and that should be of interest to all. Yes, the concern should be about a free, fair and transparent process", he stated.

According to a recent survey commissioned by Forexsuggest, regulated brokers across Africa have experienced a median growth rate of 21.35% between 2019 and 2020.

While this increase is being largely driven in larger African countries such as South Africa and Nigeria (which are the two biggest forex markets in the region), we’re also seeing a significant uptake in emerging areas such as Zimbabwe, Kenya and Botswana.

But why is forex trading on the rise in Africa, and why is Nigeria shaping up to be the dominant market within the region as a whole?

● Increased Internet Penetration: While the market leading country Nigeria currently has a 47% Internet penetration rate, this is projected to reach 65% by 2025. This is indicative of the wider rate in Africa, creating a scenario where aspiring traders have far greater access to the forex market in real-time. In Kenya, the corresponding rate is 87.2%, and traders are leveraging this to seek out passive income streams through 2021.

● Increased Marketing for Brokers: As technology has evolved to meet forex trading demand in Africa, so too brokers have been empowered to increase their marketing efforts. As the market has subsequently become more competitive too, we’ve seen more aggressive marketing techniques deployed, with lucrative welcome bonuses and access to universally recognised platforms such as the MetaTrader 4 central to such strategies.

● The Impact of Coronavirus: As the coronavirus took hold through 2020 and the first half of this year, people throughout Africa were confined to their homes for extended periods of time. This, combined with the intermittent closures of regional economies, left people searching for passive income streams through the comfort of their own homes, with the forex market offering a viable option for young and old residents alike.

The Rise of Forex Trading in Nigeria and Zimbabwe

Forex trading first became popular in Nigeria during the 70s, when residents saw a spike in their disposable income following a crude oil price boom.

Demand has increased further since this time, especially as the Nigerian economy has evolved and continued to diversify.

A similar trend has evolved in Zimbabwe, despite the challenges posed by ongoing hyperinflation and the monetary policies used by the central bank to try and mitigate the effects of this.

These are two of the fastest growing forex markets in Africa, which in turn has created a wider service industry and subsequent economic growth. For example, an individual by the name of “Bossy Welly” is said to have coached 2,000 aspiring traders over the course of the past five years in Zimbabwe, with some students as young as 14.

This is contributing to the next generation of traders, while helping investors to avoid potential scams and commit their money to viable endeavours.

Founder, African Children Talent Discovery Foundation (ACTDF), Engr. Noah Dallaji, has called for renewal of values and attitudinal change in African leadership towards creating a new Africa that works for all.

Dallaji made the call in Accra, Ghana, at the weekend while speaking at this year’s global summit of the Africa Development Forum (ADF) with the theme ‘The Africa We Want”.

The event brought together eminent personalities including the Vice President of Liberia, Dr. Jewel Howard-Taylor, representative of Nigeria’s former president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, former UN Ambassador to Eretria and ADF Chairperson, H.E. Justina Mutale, leadership development expert, Dr. Linus Okorie and Dr. Ibrahim Dauda, an accomplished business leader.

Dallaji reviewed leadership in the continent and regretted that there was still much to do to change the situation towards a more dedicated and altruistic leadership that serves the greatest good for the greatest number and for this reason, he canvassed good governance and vibrant leadership.

He said his attendance at the summit was motivated by his passion for the greater good of the continent where the youths have a major role to play to herald the necessary change and development in the continent.
Dallaji noted that achieving the Africa we want or deserve would, however, be a collective responsibility by first changing at individual level, to that of country and then the continent.

He said Africa deserves the best because it has the best of all things from the abundant resources, weather to healthy food, intellectual capacity and creativity, spanning the music, arts and entertainment and wondered why government and governance have been too lethargic to the detriment of the people.

This, he said, was because the people failed in their duties to elect the right leaders who when they get into office become masters and the people as servants.

He stated: “ So that’s the responsibility we have. We must choose our leaders wisely. We have to decide the kind of leaders we want. Most times, some of these leaders have no business being in government because they lack the basic requirements. Yet they get into office because we citizens helped them to attain political power by influencing your ballot.

“Then you have no cause to complain about any action they may take while in power because you aided and abetted a skewed process. Still, we have to recognize that this is a democracy which is a people’s government and not leaders’ government. We surely need a new Africa where there’s political stability, deepened democracy, equity and justice and economic prosperity.

“But all this will only materialize when we could attain a position of self reinvention, vision, which I usually refer to as a ministry because of intrinsic values, inclusive government, leaders with capacity and competence and altruistic enough to be servant leaders.”

Dallaji also asked that Africans must now tell their own stories more favourably rather than just accept the narrative as told by western media which, he said, was anti-Africa.

Also speaking, Vice President of Liberia, Dr. Jewel Howard-Taylor, ADF Director for West Africa Region, Dr. David Egwu, ace comedian, Ayo Makun and CEO, Metro Television, Ghana, Kayode Akintemi, though gave different perspectives but agreed with Dallaji’s position on the need for leadership renewal in order to create a new Africa we deserve.

On her part, Howard-Taylor was gender sensitive as she made the case for women in the conversation for a new Africa, stating that the discussion really should be how each of us can combine our resources, our innovations and our energies to building the Africa we deserve.

“I think the Africa we deserve takes us to a higher plane---women who hold up half of the sky must be part of the process. We bring a whole different aspect to governance.

“ We’re interested in doing things to the end, we’re interested in collaborating so that women from all spectrum in Africa can work together to build the Africa we want for our children and posterity. The time is now. We must now begin to work in implementing the key aspects we want in governance so that the Africa we want can be created”.
In an interview, ADF Director, Dr. David Egwu, underscored the importance of the summit theme, saying it was high time we changed the social profile of Africa by challenging our leaders to be accountable.

“We need vibrant leaders who are people-centric, not pocket-centric, meaning that we have to ensure our leaders are men and women who are committed to excellence, probity and selfless leadership and that’s what we need to transform the African continent”, he said.

5G is the latest generation of mobile networks to revolutionise the different ways in which we connect and communicate with others on a daily basis.

As technology continues to infiltrate our lives, consumers can reap the benefits of persistent connectivity in more ways than ever before. As the latest generation of wireless technology, 5G connectivity offers greater flexibility and interactivity. Continue reading to find out how 5G connectivity could benefit you at home and at work today.

Faster connection speeds

Faster connection speeds are one of the greatest benefits of 5G connectivity. As is the case with each previous network upgrade, 5G is set to top maximum connection speeds of 10 gigabits per second and has the potential to outperform 4G by up to 100 times. This can lead to a wide range of benefits for consumers and employees alike. For example, faster connection speeds equal faster movie downloads. With businesses transferring more data than ever before, 5G can streamline a number of work processes and promote greater productivity amongst employees.

Low latency

Latency is the measure of the length of time a signal takes to travel from its source to its receiver and back again. With lower latency than 4G, 5G promises to deliver a round-trip transmission speed of less than five milliseconds. This is faster than human visual processing and paves the way for remotely controlled devices in the not-so-distant future. Low latency benefits a number of industries and sectors including agriculture, manufacturing and logistics. It also benefits streamers and gamers with fans of football and horse racing able to view and bet on live games and matches, as well as play games like Fortnite in real-time with no delay.




Greater storage capacity

With 5G set to deliver up to 1000 times greater storage capacity than 4G, this can have a positive impact on wireless networks and the internet as a whole. As well as benefiting small businesses and large organisations, schools, farms, and factories will also flourish. 5G is also another step towards smart homes and cities. With greater storage capacity and connectivity than ever before, devices can be personalised in a number of ways. This includes energy-saving recommendations for eco-conscious homeowners, traffic lights that switch patterns based on traffic flow, and remote diagnoses and imaging for medical patients. Over time, this can save a considerable amount of time, effort, and money.

Greater availability and coverage

With consumers connected in more ways than ever before, greater availability and coverage is no longer a question of if but when. A number of major cities all over the world have already started rolling out 5G connectivity and with more expected to follow suit in the coming months, consumers can now connect and transfer data across international borders. This also allows employees to access remote networks through their computers, smartphones, and devices wherever or whenever they may be.

Increased bandwidth

Due to faster connection speeds and greater storage capacity, 5G connectivity allows for increased bandwidth to transfer larger amounts of data. As a result, 5G may be a great solution for crowded stadiums that have previously struggled to provide persistent connectivity to large audiences. It may also encourage attendees to livestream big matches or games so fans can keep up to date with the action from the comfort of their own home. Increased bandwidth can also allow businesses to process more customer data than ever before.

5G connectivity can provide a wide range of benefits for consumers and employees alike. With the ability to foster the implementation of artificial intelligence and virtual reality, 5G connectivity is a sign of the times as well as an indication of what is to come. In addition to faster connection speeds, it can also offer low latency, greater storage capacity, greater availability and coverage, and increased bandwidth.

Image Source: Unsplash.

Biodun Fatoyinbo, the senior pastor of the Commonwealth of Zion Assembly (COZA), says he has decided to step aside from the pulpit of the church.

NNN News Nigeria reports that Fatoyinbo announced this in a statement released on Monday where he said the move was the advice of his mentors.

The statement read, “the past few days have been very sobering for me. I have taken time to pray and seek spiritual counsel from Christian leaders around the world who feel very concerned about the ongoing reports in the media.

“I have solicited their advice on actions I should take that are honouring to our Lord Jesus Christ and the work he has called me to do.

“Drawing from their counsel and that of the leadership of the Commonwealth of Zion Assembly and owing to my love for God and the sacred nature of my calling, I have decided to take a leave of absence from the pulpit of the church.

“This step enables me to submit to the concerns of my spiritual methods ad they consider all the issues that have been raised against me. My confidence in the Lord remains unwavering.

“Though I do not understand what is happening, I trust the Lord to lead and guide me one step at a time.

“Kindly pray for me and the congregation of COZA as we seek the face of God during these turbulent times,” Fatoyinbo wrote.

NNN reports that consistent calls had been made for Fatoyinbo to resign following the allegations by Busola Dakolo that he raped her as a teenager.

The calls trended online with the tags #PastorStepDown and #NotMyChurch and culminated into peaceful protests at COZA branches in Lagos and Abuja.

https://nnn.com.ng/2019/07/01/breakingcoza-pastor-biodun-fatoyinbo-steps-down/

According to a Nigeria News source,Abba Kyari, the Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari and Is’haq Modibbo Kawu, the Director General of the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, are under fire for allegedly tinkering with the president approval in the award of radio and TV broadcasting licenses.

In 2016, Mr. Kyari was accused in an online report of taking N500 million from communications giant, MTN purportedly to help it mitigate the fine of $5 billion imposed on it by the federal government, just as the embattled NBC boss is currently facing charges bordering on misappropriation of N2.5 billion.

The recent recommendation by the NBC of applications by some companies for the grant of FM Radio and Digital Television broadcasting licenses by President Muhammadu Buhari has been soiled in acts of forgery, breach of trust, fraud and systemic racketeering by Messrs Kyari and Kawu.

Mr Kawu, on the 20th July 2018, ‎wrote a letter with reference No. NBC/SEC/FMIC/II entitled, “Recommendation of Applications for the Grant of FM Radio and Digital Television Broadcasting Licenses by the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces” to the President through the Chief of Staff.

“Your Excellency, in accordance with the provisions of Sections 39 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 and Section 2(1)(b) and (c) of the National Broadcasting Commission Act, Cap NII, Laws of the Federation, 2004, the National Broadcasting Commission hereby submits for the grant of FM Radio and Digital Terrestrial Television broadcast licenses by the President, Commander in chief of the Armed Forces, the under listed companies whose applications have been processed and found to be in conformity with the statutory requirements for the grant of broadcast licenses as stipulated by the NBC Act.”

According to the letter obtained by DAILY NIGERIAN, the NBC requested Mr Buhari’s ‎approval for a total of 303 licenses made up of 245 for radio and 58 for television.

While the radio licenses were sought for each of the six geographic zones viz: ‎North Central, 48; North East, 20; North West, 44; South East, 29; South South, 37 and South West, 67, approval for the television licenses were sought viz: National TV stations, 35; Regional TV stations, 7 and 16 for some states and the FCT.



However, the Chief of Staff, in his letter with reference No. SH/COS/II/II/A/54 and dated 24th September, 2018, conveying the approval of the president stated that, “The President has approved your request for the grant of FM Radio and Digital Terrestrial Television broadcast licenses to the one hundred and seventy (170) organizations and institutions recommended in your submission.”

In the Chief of Staff’s summary to Mr. President, FM Radio and Terrestrial Television Broadcasting Licenses numbering 147 and 23, respectively were approved by the President.

However, according to documents obtained by DAILY NIGERIAN, the Chief of Staff and the DG of NBC, having secured Mr. Buhari’s approval,‎ conspired to substitute names of approved licensees with forged and nonexistent applicants.

The investigation by DAILY NIGERIAN Newspapers reveals that names of corporate bodies that neither applied for any license nor have their names initially on the list of NBC’s memo, were inserted and names of approved beneficiaries, expunged from the president’s approved list.

List of companies that neither applied for any license and their names, not on the list of approved licenses but smuggled in are:

1. Bigger Best Nigeria Ltd
2. High Fidelity Comm. Ltd
3. Cooper Platform Ltd
4. Hattara TV and Radio
5. Oho Media Ltd
6. IZY Group of Companies
7. Oracle Executive Services and Consult Limited
8. TAP Television Network
9. New Radio Network
10. Seamaster Global Resources Ltd
DAILY NIGERIAN further reveals that the NBC DG, whose company is Word, Sound and Vision Multimedia (WSV) with CAC registration number RC647641 was allocated six broadcasting licenses. The licenses are distributed thus: one in Abuja; one in Lagos; one in Kano, one in Kaduna and two in Ilorin, his hometown.
In an advertorial in the Vanguard newspaper of May 24, 2019, a civil society organization, CSO, Coalition Against Corruption and Bad Governance, CACOBAG, corroborated DAILY NIGERIAN findings and further revealed that, “From our search at the Corporate Affairs Commission, some of the companies were not registered as legal entities.”
CACOBAG in a statement by its chairman, Toyin Raheem, issued in Abuja on the June 8 confirmed DAILY NIGERIAN investigation that six slots were for his (Modibbo‘s) private company, Word, Sound and Vision Multimedia (WSV) Limited and another 10 were approved for companies which neither applied nor appeared on the list approved by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The CSO’s independent findings revealed that Babagana Kingibe, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, and his family were among the 10 beneficiaries of the radio licenses recently doled out by NBC.
“We are again compelled to draw the attention of President Buhari and indeed the Nigerian public to another finding, which indicates that one of the 10 illegal radio licenses doled out by the leadership of NBC is owned by the family of Alhaji Babagana Kingibe.“The 10 companies that did not apply or bided for any radio license were smuggled into a list already approved by President Buhari.


“Our findings at relevant quarters show that one of the beneficiaries of the doctored license list is Oracle Exclusive Services and Consult Ltd, with its registered address as 20 Monrovia Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja.

“Further investigations also reveal that the company has only two directors/shareholders, who are both children of Mr Kingibe,namely; Abdulkabir Kingibe and Zara Aminu Deribe, who both gave the same address as 59 Nelson Mandela Crescent, Asokoro, Abuja.

“This is obviously another confirmation of one of the ways the deadly cabal around President Buhari operates by circumventing due process and ‎manipulating his approvals for personal benefits.

“We believe this is totally unacceptable in a country governed by rules and regulations. This is an abuse of office and a display of cheer greed,”‎ CACOBAG stated.



Responding to a DAILY NIGERIAN inquiry regarding the six licenses said to have been allocated to his company as well as the 10 licenses allegedly allocated to those companies that did not apply for them, the NCB DG responded as follows:

According to the Act which sets up the NBC, in 1. (b) of POWERS OF THE COMMISSION, it is given the power of “receiving, processing and considering applications for the establishment, ownership or operation of Radio and Television stations. And in 1 (c) we have the power of “recommending applications …to the President, for the grant of Radio and television licenses”. These are very broad powers, but at the end of the process: application; verifications of the status of the company; structures of ownership, NBC compiles those eligible, and the list is transmitted to the Presidency for APPROVAL. At that point, NBC or its DG, does not have the powers to influence who is given a license or who is denied.

Your inquiry asserted that “NBC awarded six licenses to a company (I am) associated with”. Neither NBC nor its DG has the power to AWARD licenses. ALL licenses are APPROVED by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. And because it is his SOLE PREROGATIVE, he approves licenses for whomsoever he chooses and denies licenses too. The company in question WORD, SOUND & VISION MULTIMEDIA LTD. applied for its license in 2008! That is EIGHT YEARS BEFORE I was appointed Director General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), in 2016. It met all the set criteria and was eventually shortlisted for the approval, but it was DENIED by the PDP administrations of Yar’adua and Goodluck Jonathan. The company made representations to top members of the PDP administrations, and they frankly explained that they would NEVER give the company a license for certain, but obviously, political reasons. The effort was abandoned, while the application was still in the books of the NBC. I was appointed DG of the NBC in May 2016, and the first step taken was to REMOVE me COMPLETELY from the Directorship of the company. You can check with the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, to verify the fact. Other people run the company and I have not visited the company in three years; I don’t know anything about their operations. But as a bona fide Nigerian company, their application was re-presented, re-examined and added to the list sent to the President for approval. This time it was approved. As for Ambassador Babagana Kingibe and his children, is there a law in Nigeria which precludes them from being given a radio license? If there is such a law, please let me see it. Now, what does it really mean to get approval? You have the go-ahead IN PRINCIPLE to operate radio/tv stations. However, that is merely a piece of paper, UNTIL AND UNLESS you have paid the requisite license fees to the NBC and you’re allocated frequencies to operate. As of today, the company being talked about has NOT paid a kobo for any of the locations and therefore has NOT been issued with frequencies to operate anywhere in the locations for which it got approval. These are the facts, so those making allegations are either ignorant of the processes or are being mischievous or both.

The second aspect of your inquiry is that “10 others approved by the President did not apply for the licenses”. As I have indicated earlier, it is the SOLE PREROGATIVE of the President to APPROVE licenses. ALL presidents before President Buhari have similarly approved licenses for several companies. What then happens is that such companies regularize the processes with the NBC. You would do well to direct your inquiry to the presidency, to ask why the President approved licenses for those companies. The truth is that radio and television licenses have become very popular and many Nigerians want to participate in the broadcasting industry. When NBC submits the list to the Presidency, the next level is to get the Nigerian security services to do background checks on all the applicants to determine their suitability to be licensed for radio and television ownership in Nigeria. Again, that is a process that the NBC or its DG do not participate in and cannot therefore influence. It is after the completion of the background checks that the Presidency then SELECTS those that get the presidential approval. The list is returned to the NBC and we begin notifying the successful companies to pick their letters and the payments are made, and frequencies are consequently allocated to the new stations. So a company might actually be approved for licenses by the President, but if that company hasn’t paid the statutory license fees, it merely holds pieces of paper. That is the situation with the company they have raised allegations against. Sometimes, companies might even be willing to pay their license fees, but the NBC is unable to collect such payment if there’s no availability of frequencies in such locations. That is the problem with Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt today. We don’t have frequencies to allocate in the three cities. As for those that allegedly got licensed even when they didn’t apply, it was the President exercising his prerogative as the approval authority.



Efforts to get the response of the Presidency and Mr. Kyari on the matter were unsuccessful as presidential spokesman Garba Shehu did not respond to our reporter’s calls and text message, seeking clarifications on the matter.

https://dailynigerian.com/how-abba-kyari-modibbo-kawu-allegedly-tinkered-with-buharis-approval-awarded-10-radio-tv-licenses-to-self-cronies/

Sunshine Stars Football Club of Akure on Sunday crushed visiting Wikki Tourist FC of Bauchi 2-1 in match day 17 of the Nigeria Professional Football League.

The match played at the Ondo State Sports Complex, Akure, had Sunshine Stars Striker, Sasere Franklin scoring the primary objective in the fourteenth moment of the experience.

Anthony Omaka, Sunshine Stars midfielder multiplied the host's lead in the 29th moment after he associated with Kolade Adeniji's low cross into the container.

Be that as it may, against the keep running of play, Wikki Tourist pulled one back on the stroke of half time.

While the fans making online betting are hopeful, the diversion finished 2-1 as the two sides neglected to score in the second half.

Aliyu Zubair, Head Coach of Wikki Tourist accused the thrashing for the separation his group needed to go to Akure.

Zubair hailed the match authorities for a vocation all around done amid the match.

"I trust they had a go at, considering the way that we had a long journey,it wasn't easy,when we came here we attempted to adapt," he said.

Sunshine Stars Coach, Yusuf Saliu said the outcome was not what they had expected, saying,"we intended to beat them like 4-0, as should have been obvious in the principal half we had like five shots that we couldn't cover."

"We really arranged for this match,though this wasn't the outcome we anticipated,

"We are still on course despite everything we put our brain to play in the overly six. We are going to Remo Stars with full power, ideally we will get three from that point," he said.

Meanwhile, the Rangers International FC of Enugu Seka Pascal's prop was every one of that was required by the meeting group to remove Sunshine Stars at the Ondo State Sports Complex, Akure.

The week 15 experience of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) between the two groups finished 1-2 for the guests on Sunday in Akure.

The diversion had Rangers' Pascal getting the principal objective of the experience to put the guests ahead in the 24th moment.

Sunshine Stars Midfielder, Anthony Omaka, evened out in the 30th moment to make the diversion 1-1.

In the 37th moment, Sunshine Stars' ideal back, Seun Olulayo, hit the top corner of the bar with a shot from a heave by Dayo Ojo.

In any case, against the keep running of play, Pascal multiplied for the guests to make it 1-2 into the half.

Sunshine Stars were given a help in the 84th moment with a punishment, yet the Rangers' goalkeeper spared Sasere Franklin's exertion from the spot, just for Dayo Ojo's bounce back to be dropped by the inside official and the punishment not retaken.

All endeavors to balance by the home group were useless as the guests were versatile in their push to truck away the most extreme three points.

NNN reports that Rangers are at present over the alliance in Group A with 27 points from 12 matches and with three exceptional matches.

Sunshine Stars are 6th on the log with 19 having played 15 matches.

Nigeria News: The Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Mr Ahmed Idris, on Tuesday said the Federal Government shared N617.56 billion as revenue generated in March to the three tiers of government.

The amount showed a decrease of about N2.29 billion from what was shared in February.

Idris said this at a news conference at the end of the monthly Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) meeting in Abuja.

Giving a breakdown of the revenue accrued in March, Idris said that the mineral revenue reduced by N41.65 billion, moving from N350.09 billion in February to N308.4 billion in March.

He however, said that the non-mineral revenue Increased by N13.88 billion, from N124.3 billion in February to N138.2 billion in March.

https://nnn.com.ng/2019/04/30/faac-fg-states-lgs-share-n617-5bn-as-revenues-for-march/
He said that in March, the federation crude oil sales increased by 49.18 per cent, resulting in increased federation revenue of about 240.23 million dollars.

“Also, the average crude oil price increased from 63.62 dollars to 79.06 dollars per barrel.

“Lifting operations were adversely affected by production Shut in and Shut down at various terminals due to technical issues, leaks and maintenance.

“Revenues from Oil Royalty, import and Excise duties increased remarkably while Petroleum Profit Tax decreased marginally, ” he said.

In summary, Idris said that the Federal Government received N208.39 billion, states got N105.7 billion and local governments received N81.49 billion.

In addition, N39.59 billion, representing 13 per cent of the mineral revenue was shared to oil producing states.

Idris said that as at April 25, the money left in the Excess Crude Account (ECA) was 183 million dollars.

He said that was the amount remaining in the ECA after withdrawals were made some months back to procure some necessary Military hardwares.

On the Implementation of the new minimum wage, Idris said technically it had commenced, therefore arrears would be paid once its cash backed.

Meanwhile, the Chairman, Commissioners of Finance Forum, Mr Mahmoud Yunusa said the Forum had appointed the Commosioner of Finance, Kogi state as acting Head of the Forum.

He explained that the Kogi State Commisioner would handle the affairs of the Forum pending when the State Governors appoint new commissioners under the next administration.

As reported by NNN.COM.NG, President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday reiterated that no part of the country, regardless of its geographical location or political leaning, would suffer neglect during his administration.

The President, who was represented by the Minister of Interior, retired Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Danbazau, said that the project was one of the ecological intervention programmes approved for the first quarter of 2018.

He added that it was approved by the Federal Executive Council on August 8, 2018, with a completion period of six months.

“It was fully completed in March 2019. The project is expected to check flooding menace within the university campus,” he said.

The President said that the completion of the project has also underscored the Federal Government’s concerted effort and sincerity of purpose in tackling environmental problems in the country.

“Today’s project inauguration and handing over must be commended as it will offer the community an opportunity to take ownership of the project in order to ensure its care, maintenance and stability.

“I, therefore, call on the benefiting community to see the projects as yours, jealously guard it and prevent dumping of refuse in the constructed drainage channels,” he said.

In her remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Fatima Batul-Muktar, said that provision of infrastructure such as roads and drainage network was critical to the development of tertiary institutions.

“Federal University Dutse has had problem of road and drainages within its permanent site since establishment in 2011.

“Movement of pedestrians and motorists within the permanent site which constitutes ninety per cent land area of the university was a nightmare, especially during rainy season.

Also speaking, the Deputy Governor of the state, Mr Hassan Ibrahim, promised that the state was always ready to assist the university whenever the need arises

He lauded the Federal Government for the gesture and contractors, CONTECH Engineering Ltd., for timely completion of the project.

SOUTH-EAST: No part of Nigeria will suffer neglect — Buhari

As posted on NNN News, in the midst of the serious battle for the presidency between the two major political parties, the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress, there comes an unknown contestant who has become the accidental third force.

Dr. Nicolas Felix is the Presidential candidate for the Peoples Coalition Party. According to the results of the presidential election as released by the Independent National Electoral Commission, Felix’s PCP polled 110,196 votes to emerge the second runner-up behind the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar who polled over 11 million votes.

No one saw this coming as he polled more votes than Kingsley Moghalu of Alliance for New Nigeria (21,886), Fela Durotoye of Young Progressive Party (16,779) and Omoyele Sowore of (33,953) who have a combined votes of 72,618. Researching into Felix’s profile, it was observed that the PCP logo was almost similar to that of the People’s Democratic Party and coincidentally placed before Atiku’s PDP on the ballot paper.

Many may argue that it was a strategy to confuse voters to gain votes but Dr. Felix still enjoys the fame of coming to the third nevertheless.

Read more at https://nnn.com.ng/politics/2019/02/27/man-who-allegedly-stole-atiku-pdps-votes/

The mystery over the $43 million cash haul found in an Ikoyi, Lagos apartment deepened on Friday night as the Rivers State Government said the money belongs to the people of the state.

Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike said in s ststement by his sppkesman, Simeon Nwakaudu, that he had given the Federal Government an ultimatum of seven days to return the $43m to the Rivers State Government , failure which the state government will take legal measures to ensure that it gets back her stolen resources

Wike also declared that the money belongs to the Rivers State Government.
Wike said that investigations by the Rivers State Government revealed that the money was proceeds from the sale of gas turbines by the immediate past Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi.

Addressing journalists at the Government House, Port Harcourt on Friday night, Wike said: “The money in question belongs to the former Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. We want to confirm that the houses in Ikoyi also belong to Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.


Read More at https://metrostarng.com/news/43m-ikoyi-cash-belongs-rivers-state-says-wike/

The Nigerian Senate has suspended Ali Ndume, a Senator from Borno state for six months for “deliberately” bringing up an issue the upper legislative chamber considered to be “portraying it in a bad light.”

The move is one of the recommendations of the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges which probed the allegations of certificate forgery against Melaye and avenging of seized bulletproof Range Rover against Saraki.

Tendering the report for approval before the senators on Wedensday, March 29, Senator Sam Nwanyanwu said the allegations brought against the two senators by Ndume were false after due investigation.

Read more at: https://nigerianewspapers.com.ng/news/why-senate-suspends-ali-ndume-for-six-months/

These are major Nigeria news, that make most newspaper headlines across Nigeria.

The Naira on Friday in Lagos consolidated its position against the dollar at the parallel market, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports. The Nigerian currency on Friday afternoon exchanged between N380 (buying rate) and N390 (selling rate), stronger than N400 recorded on Thursday, while the pound sterling and Euro closed at N490 and N430. At the Bureau De Change (BDC) window, the Naira was sold at N399 to the dollar, while the pound sterling and the Euro were sold at N500 and N400.

Read more at https://nigerianewspapers.com.ng/news/nigeria-newspapers-major-nigerian-news-today-march-24-2017/

It is well with Dino Milaye!

https://nigerianewspapers.com.ng/news/sahara-reporters-still-coming-for-dino-melaye-claims-london-school-of-economics-has-denied-his-degree-claim/

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/nigeria-news/ewRIq1pYfUM

A Lagos High Court has ordered the National Agency For Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to immediately direct the manufacturers of soft drinks; Fanta and Sprite (Nigeria Bottling Company PLC) to include a written warning that the content of the bottles cannot be taken with Vitamin C. This was the result from a suit filed against the NBC and NAFDAC by Lagos businessman, Dr Emmanuel Fijabi Adebo and his company, Fijabi Adebo Holdings Limited.

His lawyer alleged that sometime in March, 2007, his client’s company purchased large quantities of Coca-Cola, Fanta Orange, Sprite, Fanta Lemon, Fanta Pineapple and Soda Water from NBC for export to the UK for retail purposes and supply to their customers. When the packages arrived there, fundamental health related matters were raised on the contents and composition of the Fanta and Sprite products by the UK Health Authorities, specifically the Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council’s Trading Standard Department of Environment and Economy Directorate.

Nigeria The findings from the United Kingdom were corroborated by the Coca-Cola European Union and products were found to have excessive levels of “Sunset Yellow and Benzoic Acid “which are unsafe for human consumption. Due to the irregularities and harmful content of the soft drinks which can cause cancer to the consumer, the claimants could not sell the Fanta and Sprite products resulting in appreciable losses, as they were certified unsuitable for consumption and were seized and destroyed by the United Kingdom health authorities Adebo’s Lawyer urged the court to declare that the Nigeria Bottling Company was negligent and breached the duty of care owed to their valued customers and consumers in the production of contaminated Fanta and Sprite soft drinks with excessive “benzoic acid and sunset” addictive.

They also urged the court to direct NAFDAC to conduct and carry out routine laboratory tests of all the soft drinks and allied products of the company to ensure and guarantee the safety of the consumable products, produced from the Nigeria Bottling Company factory. READ Tanzania abandons plan to publish ‘list of gays’ Although the Nigeria Bottling Company contended that the claimants claims are speculative, frivolous and vexatious and should be dismissed with substantial costs, NAFDAC did not file any defence.

In a judgment delivered by Justice Adedayo Oyebanji declared that NAFDAC has failed Nigerians by its certification as satisfactory for human consumption....

Read more at: http://nigerianewspapers.com.ng/news/its-poisonous-for-fanta-sprite-to-be-taken-with-vitamin-c-court-orders-nafdac-to-inform-consumers/

The history of news media in Nigeria goes as far back as the 1840s when European missionaries established community newspapers to propagate Christianity. This initiative later gave rise to the establishment of newspaper in Nigeria outfits by the likes of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe in 1937. Titled West African Pilot, Zik’s paper pioneered a general protest against the British colonial rule and resulted to the eventual attainment of independence in 1960. This powerful influence manifested by the paper led to the establishment of many newspapers, especially in the 1960s.

Newspapers and Mass Communication

Newspaper is a fraction of one of the means of mass communication – the print media of the press. Printed media usually distributed weekly or daily in the form of a folded book of papers. The publication is typically sectioned off based on subject and content. The most important or interesting news will be displayed on the front page of the publication. Newspapers may also include advertisements, opinions, entertainment and other general interest news. Some of the most popular newspapers are the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and the New York Times.

Newspapers Publication Time

Newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features, editorials, and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a day. The worldwide recession of 2008, combined with the rapid growth of web-based alternatives, caused a serious decline in advertising and circulation, as many papers closed or sharply retrenched operations.

General-interest newspapers typically publish stories on local and national political events and personalities, crime, business, entertainment, society and sports. Most traditional papers also feature an editorial page containing editorials written by an editor and columns that express the personal opinions of writers. The newspaper is typically funded by paid subscriptions and advertising.

A wide variety of material has been published in newspapers, including editorial opinions, criticism, persuasion and op-eds; obituaries; entertainment features such as crosswords, sudoku and horoscopes; weather news and forecasts; advice, food and other columns; reviews of radio, movies, television, plays and restaurants; classified ads; display ads, radio and television listings, inserts from local merchants, editorial cartoons, gag cartoons and comic strips.

The History of Newspaper in Nigeria

However, the history of print media, press or newspaper in Nigeria cannot be traced without deep reference to its major root which has an often-dramatic chapter of the human experience going back some five centuries. In Renaissance Europe handwritten newsletters circulated privately among merchants, passing along information about everything from wars and economic conditions to social customs and "human interest" features. The first printed forerunners of the newspaper appeared in Germany in the late 1400's in the form of news pamphlets or broadsides, often highly sensationalized in content. Some of the most famous of these report the atrocities against Germans in Transylvania perpetrated by a sadistic veovod named Vlad Tsepes Drakul, who became the Count Dracula of later folklore.

In the English-speaking world, the earliest predecessors of the newspaper were corantos, small news pamphlets produced only when some event worthy of notice occurred. The first successively published title was The Weekly Newes of 1622. It was followed in the 1640's and 1650's by a plethora of different titles in the similar newsbook format. The first true newspaper in English was the London Gazette of 1666. For a generation it was the only officially sanctioned newspaper, though many periodical titles were in print by the century's end.

The Beginning of Newspaper in America

In America, the first newspaper appeared in Boston in 1690, entitled Public Occurrences. Published without authority, it was immediately suppressed, its publisher arrested, and all copies were destroyed. Indeed, it remained forgotten until 1845 when the only known surviving example was discovered in the British Library. The first successful newspaper was the Boston News-Letter, begun by postmaster John Campbell in 1704. Although it was heavily subsidized by the colonial government the experiment was a near-failure, with very limited circulation. Two more papers made their appearance in the 1720's, in Philadelphia and New York, and the Fourth Estate slowly became established on the new continent. By the eve of the Revolutionary War, some two dozen papers were issued at all the colonies, although Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania would remain the centers of American printing for many years. Articles in colonial papers, brilliantly conceived by revolutionary propagandists, were a major force that influenced public opinion in America from reconciliation with England to full political independence.

At war's end in 1783 there were forty-three newspapers in print. The press played a vital role in the affairs of the new nation; many more newspapers were started, representing all shades of political opinion. The no holds barred style of early journalism, much of it libelous by modern standards, reflected the rough and tumble political life of the republic as rival factions jostled for power. The ratification of the Bill of Rights in 1791 at last guaranteed of freedom of the press, and America's newspapers began to take on a central role in national affairs. Growth continued in every state. By 1814 there were 346 newspapers. In the Jacksonian populist 1830's, advances in printing and papermaking technology led to an explosion of newspaper growth, the emergence of the "Penny Press"; it was now possible to produce a newspaper that could be sold for just a cent a copy. Previously, newspapers were the province of the wealthy, literate minority. The price of a year's subscription, usually over a full week's pay for a laborer, had to be paid in full and "invariably in advance." This sudden availability of cheap, interesting reading material was a significant stimulus to the achievement of the nearly universal literacy now taken for granted in America.

The American Newspaper Vending Machine

A common measure of a newspaper's health is market penetration, expressed as a percentage of households that receive a copy of the newspaper against the total number of households in the paper's market area. In the 1920s, on a national basis in the U.S., daily newspapers achieved market penetration of 123 percent (meaning the average U.S. household received 1.23 newspapers). As other media began to compete with newspapers, and as printing became easier and less expensive giving rise to a greater diversity of publications, market penetration began to decline. It wasn’t until the early 1970s, however, that market penetration dipped below 100 percent. By 2000, it was 53 percent. The portion of the newspaper that is not advertising is called editorial content, editorial matter, or simply editorial, although the last term is also used to refer specifically to those articles in which the newspaper and its guest writers express their opinions. (This distinction, however, developed over time – early publishers like Girardin (France) and Zang (Austria) did not always distinguish paid items from editorial content.)

Newspapers Business Model

The business model of having advertising subsidize the cost of printing and distributing newspapers (and, it is always hoped, the making of a profit) rather than having subscribers cover the full cost was first done, it seems, in 1833 by The Sun, a daily paper that was published in New York City. Rather than charging 6 cents per copy, the price of a typical New York daily at the time, they charged 1 cent, and depended on advertising to make up the difference.

Newspapers in countries with easy access to the web have been hurt by the decline of many traditional advertisers. Department stores and supermarkets could be relied upon in the past to buy pages of newspaper advertisements, but due to industry consolidation are much less likely to do so now. Additionally, newspapers are seeing traditional advertisers shift to new media platforms. The classified category is shifting to sites including Craigslist, employment websites, and auto sites. National advertisers are shifting to many types of digital content including websites, rich media platforms, and mobile.

In recent years, the advertorial emerged. Advertorials are most commonly recognized as an opposite-editorial which third-parties pay a fee to have included in the paper. Advertorials commonly advertise new products or techniques, such as a new design for golf equipment, a new form of laser surgery, or weight-loss drugs. The tone is usually closer to that of a press release than of an objective news story

Newspapers and the industrial revolution

The industrial revolution, as it transformed all aspects of American life and society, dramatically affected newspapers. Both the numbers of papers and their paid circulations continued to rise. The 1850 census catalogued 2,526 titles. In the 1850's powerful, giant presses appeared, able to print ten thousand complete papers per hour. At this time the first "pictorial" weekly newspapers emerged; they featured for the first time extensive illustrations of events in the news, as woodcut engravings made from correspondents' sketches or taken from that new invention, the photograph. During the Civil War the unprecedented demand for timely, accurate news reporting transformed American journalism into a dynamic, hardhitting force in the national life. Reporters, called "specials," became the darlings of the public and the idols of youngsters everywhere. Many accounts of battles turned in by these intrepid adventurers stand today as the definitive histories of their subjects.

Newspaper growth continued unabated in the postwar years. An astounding 11,314 different papers were recorded in the 1880 census. By the 1890's the first circulation figures of a million copies per issue were recorded (ironically, these newspapers are now quite rare due to the atrocious quality of cheap paper then in use, and to great losses in World War II era paper drives) At this period appeared the features of the modern newspaper, bold "banner" headlines, extensive use of illustrations, "funny pages," plus expanded coverage of organized sporting events. The rise of "yellow journalism" also marks this era. Hearst could truthfully boast that his newspapers manufactured the public clamor for war on Spain in 1898. This is also the age of media consolidation, as many independent newspapers were swallowed up into powerful "chains"; with regrettable consequences for a once fearless and incorruptible press, many were reduced to vehicles for the distribution of the particular views of their owners, and so remained, without competing papers to challenge their viewpoints. By the 1910's, all the essential features of the recognizably modern newspaper had emerged. In our time, radio and television have gradually supplanted newspapers as the nation's primary information sources, so it may be difficult initially to appreciate the role that newspapers have played in our history.


Source: https://nigerianewspapers.com.ng/category/news/

On 30th June 2016, an article appeared on the front page of The Guardian Newspaper in which it was reported that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal, made a statement in reference to the case of forgery brought against the Senate President Bukola Saraki, the Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, the Clerk of the Senate and his deputy.
Having just celebrated my 85th Birthday I was hoping to enjoy my retirement peacefully but the statement made by the SGF has so roused me from my rest that I feel provoked to react to the statement, which I consider to be the height of absurdity and should not have come from the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
An incompetent statement of this kind should not, in my view, be associated with the high and respected office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. The parts of the said statement that I find absurd and objectionable are as follows: “It is important to emphasise that this case involves only the accused persons and should not be presented to the unsuspecting public as involving the entire Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
“To bring the National Assembly as a body into this court case is totally unwarranted. It can only be for other purposes and reasons outside the investigations and legal proceedings.” Citing the case of former Speaker Salisu Buhari who forged a certificate showing that he graduated from Toronto University, the SGF said: “what he did was to resign honourably…the individual involved did not drag the entire legislature into the matter.”
“The provisions of the separation of powers are entrenched in our Constitution and should guide everyone in our conduct. The rule of law is indeed supreme.This particular case is before the judiciary and is not being decided by the executive arm of the government.” “We should allow the process to take its course in consonance with the dictates of the rule of law and total obeisance to the cardinal democratic principle of the separation of powers.”
The aspects of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation’s statement quoted above manifest ignorance of the principles of law and of the separation of powers involved in this case. First, the Senate, as an institution, cannot be divorced from its President and his deputy.
The two presiding officers personify the Senate which is an abstraction, an artificial entity endowed by law with a legal personality as expounded by the highest court in England, the House of Lords. In an authoritative pronouncement in Lennard’s Carrying Co. v Asiatic Petroleum Co. Ltd [1915] A.C 705, a case in which the managing director of a company was being prosecuted for an offence committed by the company, Viscount Haldane, Lord Chancellor, delivering the judgment of the House of Lords, said: My Lords, a corporation is an abstraction.
It has no mind of its own any more than it has a body of its own; its active and directing will must consequently be sought in the person of somebody who for some purpose may be called an agent, but who is really the directing mind and will of the corporation, the very ego and centre of the personality of the corporation . . .
If Mr. Lennard was the directing mind of the company, then his action must, unless a corporation is not to be liable at all, have been an action which was the action of the company itself within the meaning of section 502 . . .
It must be upon the true construction of that section in such a case as the present one that the fault or privity is the fault or privity of somebody who is not merely a servant or agent for whom the company is liable upon the footing respondeat superior, but somebody for whom the company is liable because his action is the very action of the company itself (emphasis supplied.
See page 206 of Principles of Modern Company Law by Gower) The Senate President and his Deputy are therefore the alter ego, the personification, of the artificial entity, the abstraction, called the Senate which cannot in law be divorced or separated from its President and his deputy.
It is therefore the Senate that is being dragged to court in this case. Second, the prosecution of the Senate President and his Deputy for forgery clearly offends and violates the principle of the separation of powers.
The statement by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation speaks glibly about the separation of powers without appreciating its implications and incidents. His statement manifests ignorance of those implications and incidents, which are expounded by the Supreme Court of the United States in Humphrey v. United States [1934] 265 U.S 602. Said the Court: The fundamental necessity of maintaining each of the three general departments of government entirely free from the control or coercive influence, direct or indirect, of either of the others, has often been stressed and it is hardly open to serious question. So much is implied in the very fact of the separation of the powers of these departments by the constitution and in the rule, which recognises their essential co-equality.
The sound application of a principle that makes one master in his own house precludes him from imposing his control in the house of another who is master there …
The independence of each department requires that its proceedings shall be free from the remotest influence, direct or indirect, of either of the other two powers (emphasis supplied). [Excerpt from page 291 of Constitutional Democracy in Africa, Volume 1, by Ben Nwabueze] The pronouncement by the United States Supreme Court is very significant in relation to the prosecution of the Senate President and his Deputy for forgery which is an attempt by the Executive to exercise coercive influence over the Senate as personified by its President and his Deputy.
It is therefore a blatant assault on the separation of powers whose implications and incidents are expounded in the above quoted pronouncement by the Supreme Court of the United States. Third, the effect of the prosecution as an assault on, and violation of, the principle of the separation of powers is brought out emphatically by the fact that the prosecution is, not for forgery of the certificate of the individuals being prosecuted, as in the Salisu Buhari case, but of the Standing Rules of the Senate, made pursuant to its power under section 60 of the Constitution to make rules “to regulate its own procedure.” The Standing Rules are therefore a matter relating to the internal affairs of the Senate.
To quote the US Supreme Court again “the sound application of the principle that makes one master in his own house precludes him from imposing his control in the house of another who is master there.” The principle of the separation of powers recognises the Senate as master in its own house, with the power to regulate its internal proceedings by means of the Standing Rules.
It makes hardly any sense for the Standing Rules to have been forged by Dr Saraki and Dr Ekweremadu otherwise than in their capacity as President and Deputy President of the Senate respectively. If those Standing Rules have been forged, as alleged, it is for the Senate, as master in its own house, to decide and, if it so decides, to say what sanctions to impose on the culprits.
It is the Senate that elected the President and his Deputy and can vote to remove them from office. The Public arena The column you write Executive has no right to interfere by using the coercive process of the judiciary which is another arm of the government.
• Prof. Nwabueze, SAN, is a Constitutional Lawyer.

The position of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation is exalted in the great nation called Nigeria. His functions include the supervision of ministries and their activities as well as policy formulation for the Federal Government. It is such a highly coveted office because the occupants the fulcrum of the day to day running of government.

In a democracy, he or she is the bridge that links the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary as he supervises the ministers that fall under the purview of each arm of government. Over the years, the office has been occupied by distinguished Nigerians from different fields of endeavour. They have brought so much class, respect and candour to the office and made it a position that significantly defines the government of the day.


The current occupant is Babachir David Lawal, appointed on August 27, 2025 by President Muhammadu Buhari. Born October 2, 1964, Lawal's preoccupation with the trial of Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, and two others for alleged forgery has raised not a few eyebrows. He ruffled feathers recently when he issued a statement endorsing their trial.

Not a few observers wondered when it became the preoccupation of the SGF with a matter concerning a separate arm of government. In what was a brazen violation of the principle of separation of powers, Lawal went to befuddling lengths to argue why he thought the trial of both distinguished Nigerians was in order. Here was a man, who ought to be sufficiently occupied with finding solutions to the challenges of governing Nigeria, but who had enough time to delve into a matter purely outside his purview.


In a statement he personally signed and issued on June 29, 2016, Lawal wrote in part: " Since the arraignment of the President of the Senate, Senator Bukola Saraki and, his deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, before the Federal High Court on Monday, June 27, 2016, the two leaders of the Senate have issued two separate press statements conveying messages that are far from being complementary to the person and government of President Muhammadu Buhari.

“Senator Saraki, in his statement, clearly insinuated that Mr President is not in control of his administration and that a cabal now runs the federal administration. On the part of Senator Ekweremadu, he insists that President Buhari is exhibiting dictatorial tendencies that can derail our democracy. “From their statements, the two leaders of the Senate also gave this erroneous impression that by their arraignment, it is the entire Senate and indeed, the legislative arm of government that is on trial.

They want the public to believe that their prosecution is utter disregard by the executive arm of government for the constitutional provisions of separation of powers and that preferring the forgery case against them is a vendetta exercise. “Since this case is in court, the judiciary should be allowed to do its job. However, it is important to emphasise that this case involves only the four accused persons and should not be presented to the unsuspecting public as involving the entire Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“The complaint leading to the forgery investigation was reported to the police by some aggrieved senators, who specifically accused certain persons. It is not the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that is involved and definitely not the House of Representatives. To bring the national assembly as a body into this court case is totally unwarranted. It can only be for other purposes and reasons outside the investigation and legal proceedings. “A case of forgery is usually preferred against individuals. This is not different. As was the case with a former speaker of the House of Representatives, who was accused of certificate forgery, what he did was to resign, honourably.
“The matter did not even go to court. In that particular case, it was never orchestrated as a matter for the National Assembly. The individual involved did not drag the entire legislature into the matter.”


President Muhammadu Buhari has a full complement of media sides. But in a shameful case of usurpation of functions and questionable indolence, the SGF sought to B heard. This was, perhaps, borne out of s desire to curry favour with Buhari, who is currently not happy with the lacklustre performance of some members of his administration. Perhaps, Lawal is afraid of his shadows and is not sure if he won't be thrown out in an imminent purge of the administration by Buhari. So, he decided to drag his exalted office into a matter that was already before a court.


The Senate, expectedly, gave him back in full dose. You cannot expect a hallowed chamber of Distinguished elected Nigerian legislators to keep quiet while a mere appointee casts aspersions on their president and the nation's Number Three Man.


In a deserving response written by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Publicity, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, the Senate said: “We note the statement issued by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. David Babachir Lawal, that the Senate is not the one on trial in the Forgery case instituted by the Attorney-General of the Federation against the Senate President and his deputy. “We disagree with him on this position and we maintain our earlier stand that it is the Senate that is the target of the present attempt to intimidate the legislature to force a leadership change in the Senate.

“Mr. Babachir Lawal should tell us how reasonable it is to conclude that when the President of Nigeria and the Vice President are being jointly tried in a suit whose outcome can remove them from office, it is not the Buhari government that is being targeted? “It is also imperative to clearly state that contrary to the claim by the SGF, neither the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, nor Senator Ike Ekweremadu was mentioned by the petitioners, the statements by those interviewed by the police or even the police report.

Don’t compare an apple with orange “Meanwhile, let us refresh Mr. Lawal’s memory about the facts of the 1999 case. It is obvious that the Senate President and his deputy are not being accused of certificate forgery as it happened in ex-Speaker Salisu Buhari’s case. “Therefore, nobody should compare an apple with orange. Also, neither Saraki nor Ekweremadu is below the age requirement for their present position as it was alleged in the Buhari case. Attempts to make the two situations look similar is to present all Nigerians as having no sense of history.

“We also know that nobody can be accused of forging his own signature. The executive is in no position to determine what is the correct Standing Orders of the Senate. The Senate President and his deputy were, as at the morning of the June 9, 2015 inauguration of the Senate, mere Senators-elect and could, therefore, not have been in a position to influence any alteration in the rule book.

“The Senate, as an institution, and, indeed, the National Assembly, has spoken about their understanding of the present assault on their independence by the executive. “We maintain that this trial is a design by the executive to criminalize the internal affairs of the Senate to create a distraction for the leadership of the Senate, force a leadership change and cow the legislators.

“Those behind this plot find this trial more expedient and important than finding tangible solutions to the multi-farious socio-economic problems bedeviling the country. However, we are sure they will fail in this attempt. We only hope they will allow the judiciary to truly and creditably perform its duties and give independent verdict on the case.”


Not done, the clearly indolent SGF travelled to Yola, the capital of his home state, Adamawa, to throw more shades at Saraki and Ekweremadu.


In a clear show of disrespect for the court, Lawal made weighty pronouncements that were subjudice.
He said they "should have their day in court," as if it was in his place to so pronounce. Going further, he then sought to pronounce on behalf of the prosecution and the judge by saying that the National Assembly was not dragged into rather than try to drag the entire National Assembly structure into the case.


In Lawal's words: “The federal government is like a punching bag, but I don’t know why they are blaming the federal government or any person for this. When this issue started I was in the party as the National Vice Chairman. In June after the election and emergence of the leadership of the Senate, some senators petitioned the police that the document used to conduct such election was forged.”


Now, it is interesting to note that Lawal is neither a senator nor a judge. By pronouncing guilt on Saraki and Ekweremadu, on a matter before a court, he has shown clearly that he has a personal interest in the matter. That personal interest is not for justice but to please some unseen forces bent n destabilising the Senate.
That some serving and former senators are part of the plot is evidence that there are persons bent on truncating our much desired march to true democracy.


It beats the imagination how a matter which has been widely condemned in the court of public opinion has taken up the fancy of the SGF. It is not far-fetched to state that there are some destabilizing forces behind the trial of Saraki and Ekweremadu for alleged forgery. They feel uneasy that both men are piloting the affairs of the Senate creditably and therefore are doing everything possible to destabilize it. They cannot imagine, in their wildest dreams, how the Senate can operate freely without being an appendage if the Presidency.

It must be noted that there is the urgent need to remind appointees of the Executive that their public comments should be limited to issues within their purview. Certainly, Lawal would need to explain to the world how the contrived trial of Saraki and Ekweremadu falls under his remit. There are so many issues awaiting his attention. He should forthwith stop interfering in matters before the court and face the task for which he was employed.
Suleiman is a public affairs analyst based in Abuja

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory, Senator Dino Melaye, on Monday accused the prosecution of making moves to include the names of Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, in the police report on alleged forgery of Senate rules.

Saraki; Ekweremadu; former Clerk of the National Assembly, Salisu Maikasuwa; and Clerk of the Senate, Ben Efeturi, were arraigned on June 27, 2016 before an FCT High Court for alleged forgery of Senate rules.

However, Melaye said in a statement in Abuja that he had been “reliably informed” that the prosecution was trying to doctor the report of the police investigation into the matter.

Melaye is a staunch Saraki ally and has vowed to stand by the Senate president till the end of his travails.

Saraki had last year been arraigned before the Code of Conduct Tribunal for alleged false assets declaration.

In his statement, Melaye said, “We have our own sources and we have been reliably informed that the prosecution having realized that there is a big hole in their case against Saraki and Ekweremadu who were not mentioned in the police report, are now trying to doctor the report and include the names of both presiding officers of the Senate. We are aware of that development and we want members of the public to know the level of desperation that these people are ready to go to nail the Senate President and his deputy.

“It is because of this plan that they refused to include the police report in the process they filed in court. We have said it repeatedly that the government and specifically, the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Mr. Abubakar Malawi, has no case against our presiding officers. They filed the case to distract the two men, embarrass them, force a change of leadership and eventually cow the Senate, in particular, and the National Assembly, in general.

“The forgery case is the height of desperation by some elements to bring down the legislature. Malami has a personal agenda to achieve an objective for which he has been hired as a counsel by a few aggrieved Senators. Now, a court has affirmed our claim that he is abusing his office and that there is a conflict of interest involving him.

“The said police report is already in the public space. The media has published it verbatim. We will be watching them to see how they will smuggle Saraki and Ekweremadu’s names into it. This is the height of desperation and we will continue to monitor developments on it. It is clear those who initiated this forgery suit against the leadership of the Senate know that they have made a mistake. They should cut their losses and discontinue the error.

“To think that they will now use forgery to justify a false case of forgery, further their abuse of the court process as well as abuse of office and think we will be looking at them will not be possible. We will call on the courts to continue to play their role as the last resort for every man who wants justice at all times and in all circumstances.”

A Federal High Court in Abuja has ruled that the forgery charge brought against the Senate President Dr. Bukola Saraki, his deputy senator Ike Ekweremadu and two others by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice Mr. Abubakar Malami SAN is a complete gross abuse of court and legal process.

The court faulted the charge for being filed during the pendency of a civil action instituted to challenge the propriety of the police report on the alleged forgery of the Senate Standing Rule 2015 and in which the AGF and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) are defendants and even joined issues with plaintiff in the court action.

Justice Gabriel Kolawole who ruled in a motion ex parte motion filed by Senator Gilbert Emeka Nnaji seeking to stop the implementation of the police report on the forgery held that the forgery charge against Saraki, Ekweremadu and others was done in a desperate haste that was not in the public interest.

Senator Nnaji had on July 23, 2015, instituted a civil action against the Inspector General of Police and the AGF at the Federal High Court wherein he challenged the propriety of the police report on the alleged forgery of the Senate Standing Rule.

He later filed a motion ex-parte in which he asked for a court order to stop the IGP and AGF from taking any step on the police report pending the determination of his originating summon and which the court partly granted.

Senator Hunkuyi who wrote the petition that brought the police report had engaged Abubakar Malami SAN, then as a private lawyer, as one of his counsels that filed a motion for him (Hunkuyi) to be joined as one of the defendants in the suit.

As at press time, the name of Abubakar Malami (SAN) is still reflecting as one of the counsels representing Senator Othman Hunkuyi at the Federal High Court, Abuja, and the case has been adjourned to July 6, 2016, by Justice Gabriel Kolawole.

The Judge said that he would have nullified the forgery charge filed by the AGF before an Abuja High Court and set it aside for being a gross abuse of court and legal process if it had been filed before his court.

Justice Kolawole said that the actions of the IGP and AGF whose offices are created by law were in bad taste because his court had in the civil action asked parties not to do anything on the police report during the pendency of the civil suit so as not to render the civil action nugatory and cause faith accomplished.

The Judge specifically took a swipe at the AGF whom he said, ought to use his power under the law to terminate any charge filed in breach of court process but found himself as a promoter of abuse of legal process.


The AGF, the Judge further said, acted in bad faith because before his appointment as AGF, he was one of the leading lawyers to Senator Suleiman Othman Hunkuyi who authored the petitions upon which the police report was prepared and upon which the forgery charge initiated by the federal government was predicated.

By his involvement as a private lawyer in the civil matter to the petitioner (Senator Hunkuyi) before the criminal charge was preferred against the defendants, he (AGF) ought to have realised the pendency of several court actions on the issues and ought to have used his office and law to terminate the flagrant abuse of the legal process.

“In coming to a decision, I take due cognisance of the defendants IGP and AGF as offices created by the constitution, 1999 as Amended. The 1st defendant (IGP) by virtue of section 215(a) of the constitution is a creation of the constitution and by virtue of section 215(2) of the constitution, shall command the Nigeria Police Force created by section 214(1)”.

“By reason of the provisions, it is not out of place, to describe the 1st defendant as the “Chief Law Enforcement Officer of the Federation”.

“The 2nd defendant (AGF) is a constitutional office created by section 150(1) of the constitution who the constitution describes as “The Chief Law Officer of the Federation”.

“The Plaintiff’s “motion ex parte” dated 23/6/16 is one that seeks to restrain orders against these two (2) constitutional offices created by the constitution. Both are connected with law enforcement and by extension, a due administration of justice”.

“I say this with regard to the provision of section 174(1) – (3) of the constitution in relation to the constitutional powers of the 2nd defendant”.

“Section 174(1): “The Attorney General of the Federation shall have power- “to take over and continue any such criminal proceedings that may have been instituted by any other authority or person; and to discontinue at any stage before judgment is delivered any such criminal proceedings instituted or undertaken by him or any other authority or person”.

“The criminal charge dated 10/6/16 attached as Exhibit “B” to the plaintiff’s “motion ex-pate” is a criminal process filed on behalf of the 2nd defendant by D.E. Kaswe, Esq. who signed the said charge as a “Principal State Counsel” for “The Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice” was listed as one of the leading Senior Advocates of Nigeria who filed the “motion of notice” attached as Exhibit “D” to the plaintiff’s ex parte application and it was an application by which Senator Suleiman Othman Hunkuyi, who until the learned Attorney-General of the Federation was appointed as the Minister of Justice, was his erstwhile client”.

“In the “list of witnesses and their addresses”, Senator Suleiman Othman Hunkuyi, who wrote the “Petition” to the 1st defendant on 30/6/15 – as the Secretary of “The Unity Forum” in the Senate is listed as No. 1 of the witnesses to be called by the state on the criminal charge dated 10/6/16 which was filed whilst the instant proceedings are still pending”.

“When I read the provisions of section 174(1) – (3) of the constitution, as amended, I am not in any doubt, that by section (174(2) of the constitution, that D.E. Kaswe, Esq. who signed the criminal charge in Exhibit “B” as “principal state counsel” did so on the authority of the 2nd defendant.

“Having regard to these issues, I asked myself what is the appropriate order this court can make given these peculiar facts of the involvement of the current occupant of the office created by Section 150(1) of the constitution – who “doubled” as it were, as one of the leading Counsels to the “Petitioner”, Senator Suleiman Othman Hunkuyi and fortuitously, was appointed by the President as the Minister of Justice?”

“When I reflected on the Supreme Court’s decision in the State and Ilori, my view is that this court is somehow handicapped, in being able to query the 2nd defendant’s decision and the power he exercised pursuant to section 174(1)(a) of the constitution to initiate the criminal charge attached as Exhibit “B” to the Plaintiff’s “motion ex parte” as any issue which this court may raise as regards the propriety or otherwise of his doing so, will eventually, when shorn of all legal niceties, border on “moral considerations”.

“But, I am not in any doubt, that when the provision of section 174(3) of the constitution is carefully read and construed vis-à-vis the peculiar facts of this case, it may not be too far-fetched to reason that the filing of the said criminal charge in the long run, constitutes an “abuse of legal process” which is one of the “limiting considerations” to the exercise of the constitutional powers conferred on the 2nd defendant by virtue of section 174(1)(a) – (c) when reading with its section 174(3) of constitution”.

“Although, when this section is read communally with section 174(3), it is arguable that Section 174(1)(c) is to be read with the “need to prevent abuse of legal process” in section 174(3) of the constitution”.

“The converse situation, which the drafters of the constitution, perhaps never envisaged appears to have occurred in this case as the 2nd defendant who is required, by section 174(3) of the constitution, to “discontinue at any stage before judgment is delivered on any such criminal proceedings instituted or undertaken by him or any other authority or person” where such proceedings constitute “abuse of legal process”, is, in fact, the very person who initiated a criminal proceedings in a matter in which he had, as a private legal practitioner, acted for one of the “interested” Senators who had petitioned the 1st defendant on 30/6/15”.

“Regardless of whichever way it is looked at, I will still hold the view, that constitutional powers conferred on all persons and authorities, including arms and agencies of government, are required to be exercised in good faith and whereas in this instance, it relates to the institution of criminal proceedings, it must be seen to have been properly exercised strictly in “public interest”.

“But, having regard to the peculiar facts which I have analyzed, the said criminal charge dated 10/6/16 and attached as exhibit “B” to the plaintiff’s “motion ex parte” dated 23/6/16, given the course of these proceedings as I had in detail, highlighted, can only be seen as one that constitutes an “abuse of legal process” to use the very words in section 174(3) of the constitution”.

“In all of these facts and issues, having regard to the pendency of this suit in which the defendants have both filed processes, one question that did not cease to resonate in my thoughts is why this “desperate haste” to prefer the criminal indictments in exhibit “B” the investigation of which is at the heart of this suit and of the parallel suit in exhibit “E”, and which indictments, by law are not time barred as the substantive suit before this court, had by consent of both the Plaintiff’s Counsel and the 1st defendant’s Counsel, been scheduled for6/7/16 for hearing”.

“It is the event of the steps taken by the defendants in utter defiance of this pending suit, that in my view, unobtrusively betrayed the possible genuineness of the defendants’ intention and of the 2nd defendant’s motives as steps taken which are beyond serving the “public interest” by the commencement of a criminal trial in the FCT High Court in order to subvert the pending suits in the Federal High Court one of which has been fixed for 6/7/16”.

“By the extant Supreme Court’s decisions, once a court comes to the decision that a particular process before it constitutes an abuse of judicial or legal process, the appropriate orders it can make, is to put an end to the continuation of such proceeding.

“Do I proceed and make such order? I probably would have done so if the criminal charge dated 10/6/16 was pending before this court”.

“But as it is, it is pending before my learned brother, the Hon. Justice Yusuf Halilu of the FCT High court, which is a court of co-ordinate jurisdiction and who has become seised of the charge as at 21/6/16 when he adjourned it to 27/6/16 for the arraignment of the defendants listed in Exhibit “B” attached to the Plaintiff’s “Motion Ex parte”.

$13m UN fund tears Presidency, N'East govs apart
A feud is brewing between the Presidency and some North-East governors over the control of $13 million fund from the United NationsCentral Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to provide life-saving assistance to 250,000 people in the North-East.
Stephen O’Brien, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator had in a release said the CERF funds would enable humanitarian partners to provide critical psychosocial support and protection services.

However, the UN CERF fund is causing a lot of stir in the presidency, amongst the Governors of the States being ravaged by Boko Haram crisis and some international NGOs acting as intermediaries between the government and United Nations, according to a report by The Brief.

A Presidency source, who declined to be quoted, told The Brief that while the office of the Vice President is demanding that it should be allowed to give directives on how and where the money would be expended on, Borno State, Kassim Shettima, is allegedly.kicking against the idea. According to him, since it was his state and those of Yobe and Adamawa that were badly affected during the crisis, they should be allowed to take control of the fund.

"I'm sure you know that the United Nations approved $13 million dollars for North-East assistance, but that has been a serious issue now considering which office will take a full control of the fund. While the Office of the Vice President is insisting that all reports about the funds should come to his table, on the other hand, the governor of Borno State is threatening the NGOs serving as intermediaries on the implementation of thrusting the fund in the Presidency's care," he stated.

The source further revealed that "the powers that be in the presidency " are also moving to hijack the fund.

The lead Director of one of the NGOs serving as intermediaries between the United Nations and government told The Brief that "some people in presidency are forcing us to accept lesser amount but signing for more. Would you believe that it was $56 million that was approved but these elements in the presidency pruned it down for no just cause?" he alleged.

To date, the UN said that the plan is only 22 percent funded. Since 2015, CERF has supported life-saving assistance in response to Boko Haram-related violence with more than $58 million, bringing the total CERF support to more than $70 million
The UN further added that some $27 million was allocated in March 2015 to assist more than 1.6 million internally displaced people, refugees, returnees and host communities in Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria. An additional $31 million was also provided in early 2016 to help 700,000 people in the Lake Chad Basin. CERF is a pooled fund that supports rapid humanitarian response. Donors preposition funds with CERF so that money is available immediately to kick-start relief operations in new emergencies and to provide live-saving assistance in crises that are underfunded. The UN said that at mid-year, donors had contributed $248 million to CERF for 2016 and CERF has allocated nearly the same amount, responding to high demand from humanitarian partners.

The appearance of Bukola Saraki at the FCT high court on Monday, July the 27th is one episode too many; ill-timed, misadvised, miscalculated and sure to leave a sour taste in the mouth of many. For those who had predicted that the forgery allegations and subsequent trial will spiral an unprecedented wane in his popularity especially among millions of Nigerians who had supported the change call which has been the mantra of this present administration, the reverse has been the case.


The way and manner the President of the Senate has comported himself since his ordeals began by the faceless few that are hell bent on ensuring he is removed from the pinnacle of the exalted red chambers, the unwarranted attacks has instead endeared him to many. Some even claim his terse response to issues bordering on his travails is the right approach to an unprecedented and unnecessary attack on his person.


Falsely painted in the media as a proud, arrogant and ambitious aristocrat ready to do anything to get the prized possession of the President of Nigeria in 2019 by spin doctors, the President of the Senate has demonstrated an unprecedented calm and maturity especially in the face of his current challenges. While the elections onto the seat of the President of the Senate is unarguably and unquestionably the reason for his current travails, some believe the faceless few are perturbed about his rising popularity which is also the reason for a total and committed asseveration by his colleagues in the Senate.


The current events have been described by keen watchers of the executive –legislative impasse in the last few months as uncalled for and sheer executive rascality, one more straw that will surely break the camel’s back.
In solidarity with about thirty-eight Senators who had come to show their support at the Federal High Court Abuja while being charged with his deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu and two others Salisu Maikasuwa, the former Clerk to the National Assembly and his deputy, Ben Efeturi, there is the widespread belief that the forgery case is dead on arrival.

It is only one more act shabbily orchestrated and done in desperation but which truly reflects the mindset and thinking pattern of many of those that expect Nigerians to believe they will take the country to the promised land.
Chikezie Obi, a development analyst, writes from Abuja

Senate President Bukola Saraki and his deputy Ike Ekweremadu were released on bail following their first appearance in court yesterday over forgery charges.


They were charged along with former Clerk to the National Assembly, Salisu Maikasuwa and his deputy, Benedict Efeturi.


The four pleaded not guilty to a two-count charge of criminal conspiracy and forgery before Justice Yusuf Halilu of the FCT High Court, Jabi.


Count One stated that Maikasuwa, Efeturi, Saraki and Ekweremadu “On or about the June 9, 2015, conspired and forged the Senate Standing Order, 2011 (as amended), an offence punishable under Section 97 (1) of the Penal Code Law.”


Count Two also said the four defendants “with fraudulent intent forged the Senate Standing Order 2011 (as amended) causing it to be believed as the genuine Standing Order, 2015 and circulated same for use during the inauguration of the 8th Senate.”


It added that they did this knowing that “the said Order was not made in compliance with the procedure for amendment of the Senate Order ”and by this “committed an offence punishable under Section 364 of the Penal Code Law.”


Maikasuwa was the Clerk of the National Assembly when the alleged offence was committed.
Director of Public Prosecution, office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, Muhammad S. Diri opposed the applications bail when they were moved.


At the instance of the prosecution, Justice Yusuf Halilu stood down the matter for one hour to enable the counter affidavit filed by the DPP to be served on the defence.


At the resumed hearing, Ikechukwu Ezechukwu (SAN), Mahmud Magaji (SAN), Paul Erokoro (SAN) and Joseph Daudu (SAN) filed their bail applications for the first, second, third and fourth defendants respectively.
Erokoro, counsel to Saraki submitted that the third defendant’s application for bail is supported by a 28 paragraphs affidavit.


He said during investigation, the police never invited Saraki nor was his statement ever taken.
He added that Saraki had been standing trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) for over a year and had never been absent at the Tribunal, thus making the prosecution’s counter-motion ridiculous that the third defendant might not appear for trial.


“He is the President of the Senate, where will he run to? He is too big to hide. I urge your lordship to grant the 3rd defendant bail on self recognition”, Erokoro concluded.


Prosecution counsel said prosecution did not intend to oppose the bail application of Saraki because he was the Senate President and not granting him bail would hinder the operation of the legislative. He however said the prosecution “vehemently oppose the bail applications of the 1st, 2nd and 4th defendants”.
He said if the defendants were found guilty based on Section 362 of Penal Code, it might attract a sentence of up to seven years imprisonment. He added that the three defendants evaded the service of charge until the Court orders a substituted service. ranted they might evade trial. He based this argument on Section162 (b) of the Administration for Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).


Daudu, counsel to Ekweremadu (4th defendant) said “We are prepared to go on with trial today”. He added that it was wrong for the prosecution to speculate that the 4th defendant might evade trial.
Justice Halilu in a consolidated ruling said it sufficed to mention that the essence of bail is to ensure the protection of the innocence of the accused person until proven guilty and that the ACJA said an accused person should be granted bail in order for him to prepare for trial.


He ruled that applications for bail, regardless of prosecution’s decision not to oppose the application for bail of Saraki, are granted as soon as the four defendants each provided 2 reasonable sureties who must be Nigerian men or women and owned landed property in Asokoro, Wuse, Maitama, and Garki.
“Failure to meet the bail conditions, they shall be remanded in Kuje prisons”, Justice Halilu ruled.
As early as 8.30 yesterday morning, the court room and the entire court premises were crowded with sympathisers of the principal lawmakers.


Outside the court premises a group of protesters carried placards chanting, “Defend our democracy”, “let democracy prevail.”


Justice Halilu appeared at 9 am, but he retired to his chambers because of the surging crowd in the courtroom to allow senior lawyers alongside court staff to restore order.


When the judge returned to the bench, with half of the people already ushered out of the court room, the court proceedings commenced. The efforts of J. B. Daudu and the court registrar notwithstanding, the congestion was still apparent with more people standing than those sitting with over 30 senators accompanying both Senate President Bukola Saraki and his deputy Ike Ekweremadu to the court.
The matter was adjourned to July 11th for hearing.

Silverbird Group on Friday announced the reopening of its cinemas as well as its radio and television arms, which were affected by the abrupt closure of Silverbird Galleria in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt on Thursday.

The magnificent complexes were shut by armed policemen and officials of the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria over an alleged N11 billion debt owed by the group.

The closure of the galleries generated mixed reactions across the nation as thee were insinuations that it was a witch-hunt over political differences between the Buhari government and the group's President, Senator Ben Murray Bruce.

The statement reads: “The Management of Silverbird Group is pleased to announce the commencement of full operations at Silverbird Cinemas (Victoria -Island) and Port-‎Harcourt.
We apologize for the disruption caused and are assuring our patrons and clientele of our commitment to providing quality service.

“We are also pleased to announce that STV Lagos and Rhythm 93.7 are also operational at the Galleria. Management is working round the clock to ensure that other locations are operational as soon as possible.

“We thank you for your patience and understanding at this time.”

The forthcoming trial of Bukola Saraki, senate president and Ike Ekweremadu, deputy senate president appears very interesting as it will be a clash not necessarily about the immunity clause provided in the 1999 Constitution but a battle of supremacy between the Legislative Privileges Act and Police Act

Maureen Chigbo

FRICTION between the executive and the legislative arm of government is always a constant in a democracy which thrives on conflicts and conflict resolution. This is why right thinking people in a democratic setting will not raise an undue eyebrow in any face-off between the two arms of government over issues that are seen to deepen the democratic process in Nigeria. Since 1999 when the country returned to democracy, the two arms of government have always had a cat and mouse relationship with the executive trying to lord it over the National Assembly and the later fighting hard to assert its independence. Usually the bone of contention in the quarrel between the duo is over sundry issues such as who assumes leadership of the Legislative arm of government and budgetary matters much to the chagrin of other members the society. Most times the issues are resolved without breaching the Constitution which provides the rules that govern a democratic country and the Legislative Privileges Act, which guides proceedings in the house.

However, it appears that with the current face-off between the executive and the legislature over the forthcoming trial of Senate President Bukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu, deputy senate president and others, the fight will not bother on the Constitutional provisions with regards to immunity clause but between the Legislative Privileges Act and the Police Act. This is why most Nigerians are worried about the current war of attrition between the Executive and the Legislature, hoping that common sense should prevail to save the country unnecessary stress.

The trial of the leadership of the Senate started with the procedure that led to election of Saraki and Ekweremadu, who belonged to the opposing political party, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, against the wishes of the chieftains of the All Progressives Congress, APC, who favoured a different candidate. After the election, the stunned APC Stalwarts vow to get even with Sakari, seen as the black sheep of the APC family. This led to allegations that both Saraki and Ekweremadu secretly amended the Standing Rules of the National Assembly to enable them hold the election that brought them into office.

Ekweremadu
Ekweremadu

After the election, a group of APC lawmakers under the aegis of the Senate Unity Forum, SUF, alleged that the Standing Order used for the July 9, 2015, election of principal officers for the 8th Senate was doctored. The five members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the Senate, Abu Ibrahim, Kabir Marafa, Ajayi Boroffice, Olugbenga Ashafa and Suleiman Hunkuyi, had petitioned the police over the matter. There petition made the Nigeria Police Force to initiate an investigation into the allegation.

They lawmakers also took the matter to court in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/651/2015, seeking the removal of Saraki and Ekweremadu. ‎The plaintiffs prayed the court to sack the duo on the premise that the version of the Senate Standing Orders that was used for their election was forged. In their suit dated July 27, 2015, the plaintiffs, contended that ‎allowing Saraki and Ekweremadu to continue to pilot the affairs of the Senate regardless of the fact that they emerged through an act of illegality, would on itself amount to corruption.

After the court had concluded hearing on the matter, Ekweremadu, filed a petition before Justice Ibrahim Auta, chief judge of the High Court, alleging bias against the judge that handled the case, Justice Ademola Adeniyi. In his petition dated December 18, 2015, Ekweremadu, insisted that Justice Adeniyi was closely related to some chieftain‎s of the APC. He specifically identified Ahmed Bola Tinubu, national leader ‎of the party and former governor of Lagos State, as one of the people he said has personal relationship with the Judge. Ekweremadu queried the ability of Justice Adeniyi ‎to deliver an objective verdict on the matter in view of his alleged closeness with the APC – the party the plaintiffs belong to.

Following the petition, which was filed four days after the suit was fixed for judgment, the CJ, re-assigned the case to another Judge, Justice Evoh Chukwu. Unfortunately, Chukwu died earlier this month, thus leaving the case hanging, waiting to be re-assigned to another judge.

With the case being bugged down, the executive arm of the government through the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, dusted up the 13-page report of the police investigation of the alleged forgery of the Senate Standing Rules document to take Saraki and Ekweremadu to court.

According to the police report, on June 9, 2015, a document entitled “the Senate Standing Order 2015 as amended” was distributed to senators of the 8th Senate for their inauguration as members. The contents of the Senate Standing Order 2015 as amended are substantially different from the Senate Standing Order 2011 as amended. Sections 2(iv), 3(3)E, I,ii,iii, G and H, 5 and 7 of the Rules are different in the two Orders. The police also found that the Senate Standing Order 2015 as amended was used by the clerks of the National Assembly and the Senate as the Senate Standing Orders to inaugurate and conduct elections into the offices of the presiding officials of the Senate viz the Senate President, the Deputy Senate President etc.

Abubakar Malami
Malami

“The testimonies of some members of the 7th Senate including that of the chairman of the Business and Rules Committee and Senators of the 7th Senate indicate that the Senate Standing Order 2011 was not amended during the tenure of the 7th Senate which ended on the 8th of June, 2015,” the police report said. It also found that “the procedure for the amendment of the Senate Standing Order as contained in Section 110 of the Senate Standing Order 2011 as amended stipulates that any amendment to the Senate Standing Orders should be in line with the following procedures: i. Any senator desiring to amend any part of the Rules or adding any new clause shall give notice of such amendments in writing to the President of the Senate giving details of proposed amendment. ii. The President shall within seven working days cause the amendment to be printed and circulated to members. Thereafter, it shall be printed in the Order Paper. iii. The movers of the amendment shall be allowed to explain in details the proposed amendments, thereafter the Senate shall decide by simple majority votes whether the amendment should be considered. iv. If the decision is to consider the amendments, then another date shall be set aside by the Rules and Business Committee, whereby opportunity would be given to Senators to further propose amendments but must strictly be confined to the original amendments. v. Two third majorities shall decide the amendments and such amendments shall form part of the Rules of the Senate.”

The police said that “the Clerk of the Senate, Mr. Benedict Efeturi, who doubles as the Deputy Clerk of the National Assembly confirmed in his statement that the Senate Standing Order 2015 as amended was produced on the orders of the Senate leadership without following the amendment procedures as contained in the Senate Standing Orders 2011 as amended. (g) That the allusion by the clerk of the Senate to procedure of amending the Standing Orders of Parliament through “practise and not necessarily by procedure” is a misplaced analogy and undemocratic because the Nigerian Senate has clearly laid-down without a provisio, the procedure to be adopted in amending its standing orders as contained in section 110 of 2011 Senate Standing Orders.”

From the findings, especially from the statement of the clerk of the Senate who doubles as the deputy clerk of the National Assembly, the police wrote that the Senate Standing Orders 2015 which was used to inaugurate the 8th Senate on the 9th of June 2015 was ordered by the leadership of the 7th Senate without following Section 110 of the Senate Standing Rules 2011 as amended which requires that any amendment to the Senate Standing Rules must be debated and approved by the senators on the floor of the Senate.”

It recommended that “This practice where some group of senators amend the Rules of the Senate without following legal procedures is not only criminal but portends danger for our growing democracy and should be discouraged.” Also, it recommended that the file be sent to the attorney general of the federation for vetting to determine if this conduct constitutes crime or should be treated as an internal affair of the Senate

Apparently, the attorney general considered the amendment as criminal hence the case it has instituted at the Abuja High Court, Jabi, which was to hold on Tuesday, June 21. But Justice Yusuf Halilu, the trial judge hearing the case postponed it to June 27, because the court papers were not properly served to Saraki and Ekweremadu, who were expectedly not in the court.

The two Senate leaders are to be tried on a two-count charge bordering on conspiracy and forgery. The federal government is accusing them of complicity in alleged forgery of the Senate Standing Orders, 2015. They were charged alongside Salisu Abubakar Maikasuwa, former Clerk of the National Assembly, and Benedict Efeturi, his deputy.

The federal government is insisting that they had by their conduct committed an offence punishable under Section 97 (1) and 364 of the Penal Code Act. Specifically, the charge against the defendants, with suit No. CR/219/16, stated: “That you, Salisu Abubakar Maikasuwa, Benedict Efeturi, Dr. Olubukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu, on or about, the 9th of June, 2015, at the National Assembly complex, Three Arms Zone, Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this court, conspired amongst yourselves to forge the Senate Standing Order, 2011 (as amended) and you thereby committed the offence of conspiracy, punishable under Section 97 (1) of the Penal Code Law.

Ozekhome
Ozekhome

Also, it stated: “That you, Salisu Abubakar Maikasuwa, Benedict Efeturi, Dr. Olubukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu, on or about the 9th of June, 2015, at the National Assembly complex, Three Arms Zone, Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this court, with fraudulent intent, forged the Senate Standing Order 2011 (as amended), causing it to be believed as the genuine Standing Order, 2015 and circulated same for use during the inauguration of the 8th Senate of the National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria when you knew that the said Order was not made in compliance with the procedure for amendment of the Senate Order. You thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 364 of the Penal Code Law.”

Since the intention of the federal government to try the leaders of the National Assembly in court became public, Nigerians from all walks of life have weighed into the controversy. There are those in favour and against depending on which side of the political divide they belong to. What is evident is that there will be an eminent clash between what the Constitution states with regards to the immunity clause on one hand and what the Legislative Privileges Acts states with regards to protecting legislators in the course of their job and that of the Police Act with regards to trying criminal cases. Constitutional lawyers are agreed that the leadership of the National Assembly do not enjoy the immunity clause in the 1999 Constitution as it is limited to the only the executive arms of government with regard to the president, the vice president and governors at the state level and their deputies while they are in office.

However, there is the belief that the trial of Saraki and Ekweremadu is more political than legal based on the fact that the presidency and APC are not happy with the emergence as leaders of the Senate. Categorically, Saraki and Ekeremadu do not enjoy the kind of immunity that will preclude them from criminal prosecution as stated by section 308 of the 1999 Constitution. But the current case appears to be a tricky legal conundrum because of the Legislative Privileges Act 2004, which is an act of parliament that gives privileges from criminal or civil proceedings to officials and legislators on an act carried out by them on the floor of the house within the premise of the National Assembly. This is why even if a senator or member of the House of Representatives stands up to make a statement on the floor of the senate or the House which is defamatory or libellous of any person that person cannot be sued to court to claim damages from libel or defamation because matters uttered on the floor of the National Assembly have what is called absolute privilege from legislation.

From this perspective, the alleged amendment to the Standing Order which is being equated to forgery, was made in the House pursuant to the legislative duties by the members of the Senate including the senate president, Ekweremadu, former Clerk of the senate and all those who participated in the ordinary course of their legislative duties within the premise of the National Assembly. Consequently, it can be deduced that such act will enjoy automatic privilege from prosecution or from criminal proceedings.

Ubani

This kind argument has been effectively deployed in the trial of Herman Ihembe, former member of the House of Representative and chairman House committee on Capital Market, who was tried in 2012 for collecting N39 million for public hearing on Capital Market and demanding N5 million bribe from the Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC. It was also used by the Supreme Court to free Dimeji Bankole, former speaker of the House of Representatives, who was arrested in 2011 and charged for corrupt practices (contract inflation and embezzlement of public funds totalling N9 billion) while in office. Bankole’s case was discharged in 2014.

This must be the reason Mike Ozekhome, SAN and constitutional lawyer says, “It will be interesting to see how the attorney general will be able to wriggle out of the Legislative Privileges Act of 2004, which gives legislative officers total and complete immunity on act carried out on the floor of the house vis-à-vis the powers of the Police under Section 4 to investigate and prosecute for criminal cases. The coming days will be very interesting but I can see the preliminary objections that you cannot prosecute this people not because of the Nigeria Constitution but because they enjoy legislative privileges.”

Thinking differently, Onyekachi Ubani, former chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Ikeja Branch is of the view that what should concern Nigerians is whether there was an alleged crime. “Was there any alteration on the rules of the Senate? The Senate has regulations and rules, and if you want to amend the rules there are procedures to be adopted before the amendment. Was that amendment procedures followed? If it was not followed and you altered it, when we are in positions there are things we shouldn’t be doing irrespective of party affiliation or differences. Most times, we allow sentiments to crop up even when we know that what is being said is right, we allow sentiment and that cannot make us to grow as a nation”.

According to Ubani, “the questions we should ask are whether there was an investigation, whether the investigation was done properly; were the parties involved actually invited and given a hearing before reaching any conclusion? Is this an issue of breach of the law for the attorney general to take them to court? Are they above the law? So if they are not above the law, then I don’t see anything special about the case.” He believes that Nigeria has used political solution to problems to further reduce the moral standard of this nation. “Things are getting worse by the day and we are not laying a solid foundation for our children who are coming up. I think we should start by doing things properly. If I’m in a public office, what are the expectations from me and what I’m supposed to do and what I’m doing right or wrong. Then we will begin to follow the part of rectitude and now know that when you do something that is wrong you can be punished. I think an investigation has been done. I think police has found some evidence against certain persons that are being charged now.”

He acknowledges that it is for the court to make pronouncement while dismissing the argument that “you cannot keep on embarrassing the leadership of the House is pure blackmail. Maybe if they agreed that they have done wrong and then plead for forgiveness, we have a forgiving spirit, Nigerians can say allow them to go on. But that has to be done and the issue cannot continue the way it used to be. I don’t look at this issue on whether Saraki is of the APC or from the north. I’m looking at it from the perceptive that I’m a Nigerian. I’m saying let us begin to insist even from the presidency that we must begin to do things rightly.”

Whatever, Nigerians are keenly watching to see who will have the upper hand in the forthcoming legal battle between the executive and the Senate leadership in court next week.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENumzYqrSCg

The Code of Conduct Tribunal on Tuesday June 21, 2016 fixed a date to hear the second application of bias against its Chairman, Danladi Umar, in the ongoing trial of Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, for alleged false declaration of assets.

Saraki’s counsel had on June 15 filed a second application asking Umar to step down from the case aas he (CCT chairman) has a pending case with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Although EFCC cleared Umar of an allegation of demanding N10 million bribe from a retired Comptroller of Customs, Rasheed Taiwo, thee are other subsisting petitions against the CCT boss before the agency.

There is also a petition before the Senate submitted by Senator Obinna Oba alleging corruption and abuse of office.

After the defence counsel filed the application on June 15, Umar had fixed June 21 for hearing.

but at the resumed hearing of the matter, he said he would not be in court on the next adjourned date of Wednesday June 22, 2016 as he would be travelling.

Saraki’s earlier application on April 15 for Umar to step down was thrown out on April 21.

Saraki’s lawyers had on April 21 filed the same application but it was thrown out.

Saraki has been standing trial since September 22 on a 16-count charge.

It seems some of the current operators of Nigeria's democracy are bent on bringing back the dark days of dictatorship going by stage developments in the polity.

In a brazen violation of the doctrine of separation of powers, the Executive led by President Muhammadu Buhari has embarked on a sinister mission to bring down the leadership of the Senate. Driven by an evil vengeance mission, Buhari’s men have revived a dead report with which they intend to use to prosecute Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, and Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu.

For the first time since independence, the Executive is investigating the Senate’s rules, which are the internal affairs of the Red Chamber. Last year, the Nigeria Police had investigated the alleged forgery of the Senate's Standing Rules and established no case of wrongdoing against the leadership of the Red Chamber.

Interestingly, the Executive felt slighted that its choices for Senate leadership did not emerge and so subterranean moves were launched to oust Saraki, Ekweremadu and the principal officers of the upper chamber. The police were instigated to investigate the alleged forgery of the rules, which enemies of democracy had claimed were forged to pave the way for the emergence of Saraki and others.

The election of Saraki and Ekweremadu by a sizeable number of senators in he presence of the Clerk of the National Assembly, Salisu Maikasuwa, and his deputy, Benedict Efeturi, on June 9, 2015 was widely acknowledged by Nigerians as a big boost for democracy. That senators were allowed to freely elect their leaders without interference from the Executive was considered as a big plus for Buhari. It should be recalled that the President had rejected pressures from some quarters to back particular candidates for the leadership positions in the Senate and House of Representatives, as was the case in the past. It was reported that the principle of separation of powers be fully respected, given his high score on integrity.

However, some desperate forces within the ruling All Progressives Congress had unsuccessfully tried to foist their choice candidates on the National Assembly using the President's imprimatur. When their sinister plot failed, they reached out to their allies in the Senate to cook up an imaginary tale of forgery of Senate Rules.

Acting on a spurious petition filed by a group of sensors led by Suleiman Hunkuyi (APC, Kaduna North), on behalf of he so-called Unity Forum, the police swung into the matter. After an extensive investigation, nothing was established against Saraki, Ekweremadu, Maikasuwa or Efeturi.

Strangely, the police suddenly woke up recently to submit a report to the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), upon which the Executive decided to press criminal charges of offence of conspiracy punishable under Section 97 (1) of the Penal Code Law; and offence of forgery with “fraudulent intent” punishable under Section 364 of the Penal Code Law, against them.

It is unheard of in the history of this great nation that the Executive would seek to look into the internal affairs of the National Assembly. The latest attempt to arrain the quartet and get them remanded in prison is a desperate bid to shut down the Senate. Through this 'cop,’ desperate forces intend to ignite a leadership vacuum in the Senate and force senators to elect a new leadership. It’s all a resort to Gestapo tactics, the sort that Nigerians thought they had put behind them with the election of President Buhari.

It is noteworthy that the Senate has already raised the alarm about the underhand tactics by the Executive to destroy this bastion of democracy.

Senate spokesman, Aliyu Abdullah, had in a statement on Sunday alerted Nigerians and the international community to this sinister plot by persons bent on foisting a dictatorship on Nigerians.

The statement reads: “After reading in the national newspapers and online platforms of the planned charges of forgery and conspiracy preferred against the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, his Deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, immediate past Clerk of the National Assembly, Alhaji Salisu Maikasuwa and the Clerk of the Senate, Mr. Ben Efeturi and reviewing the circumstances leading to the filing of these charges, we are compelled to alert the good people of Nigeria and the international community, that our democracy is in danger and that the attempt by the Executive Arm of the Federal Government to muzzle the legislature and criminalise legislative processes in order to cause leadership change in the National Assembly is a return to the era of impunity and lack of respect for due process which we all fought to abolish.
2. We urge President Muhammadu Buhari to please call his Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, to order. The Senate of the Federal Republic voted freely to elect its leadership into office and continuing attempts to change that leadership through the wanton abuse of judicial processes cannot stand in the eyes of the world. It is clear that the Attorney General and party leaders behind this action either lack the understanding of the underlining principles of constitutional democracy, the concept of Separation of Powers, checks and balances and parliamentary convention or they just simply do not care if the present democracy in the country survives or collapses in their blinded determination to get Saraki and Ekweremadu by all means necessary, including abuse of office and sacking the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
3. The Nigerian people have enough economic hardship at this time requiring the full attention and cooperation of the three arms of government, instead of these attempts to distract and politicise governance. We are in a state of economic emergency such that what the National Assembly needs at this time are executive bills and proposals aimed at resolving the crises of unemployment, currency depreciation, inflation, crime and insecurity. What the National Assembly needs now are executive bills to build and strengthen institutions to earn revenues, fight corruption and eliminate waste. Instead, we are getting hostile actions aimed at destabilising the National Assembly, distracting Senators from their oversight functions and ensuring good and accountable governance.
4. We must make it clear here to the individuals in the Executive arm and party leadership behind these plots not to mistake the maturity and hand of co-operation being extended to the Presidency by the legislature as a sign of weakness.

5. This latest plot is directed at forcing a change of leadership in the Senate or, in the extreme case, ground the Red Chamber of the National Assembly. Or how do one interpret a move in which the two presiding officers are being set up to be remanded in Kuje Prison or incapacitated from sitting at plenary through a day-to-day trial on a matter that is purely an internal affair of the Senate.
6. This obviously is a dangerous case of violation of the independence of the legislature, undue and unnecessary interference in the internal affairs of the Senate and blatant abuse of the judicial process. The matter now being criminalised was brought to the plenary of the Senate in session, over a year ago. And because it had no support, it was overruled and roundly defeated in chambers.

To now take a matter that was resolved on the floor of the Senate to the police and then make it form the subject of a criminal prosecution of freely elected legislators beats all imagination of free thinking men all over the world. The implication is that any matter that fails on the floor of the National Assembly will now be taken to the Police, thereby endangering every Senator and House member. This current move clearly runs contrary to the Doctrine of Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances which are fundamental to the successful operation of the Presidential System of government. It runs counter to the principle outlined by the Supreme Court in the Adesanya Vs Senate case where it was held that nobody should seek to use the courts to achieve what he or she has failed to push through on the floor of the National Assembly.

7. This present efforts, therefore, is clearly a coup against the legislature with the ignoble aim to undermine its independence and subject the law making institution to the whims and caprices of the executive. It is a plan to return Nigeria to the dictatorial era which we have, as a nation, voted to reject. It is a dangerous trend with grave implications for the survival of our democracy and the integrity of the component institutions. This rule of men as against the rule of law is also the reason why the War Against Corruption, one of the cardinal objectives of the present administration, is losing credibility because people perceive it to be selective and, in most cases, aimed at settling political or partisan scores.

8. The Rules of the Senate and how the institution elects its leadership are internal affairs. The Rules of a new Senate are provided by the National Assembly bureaucracy. It has always been so since 1999. After the inauguration of the Senate, if Senators have objections to any part of the Rules, they can follow the procedure for changing it. Senators of the Eighth Senate have no control on the rules applied in the elections of June 9, 2015 because until after their inauguration, they were only Senators-elect, and therefore mere bystanders in the affairs of the Senate.
9. We therefore urge all Nigerians and the International Community to rise up and condemn this blatant attempt to subject the legislature to the control, whims and caprices of the executive. If the Legislative branch falls, democracy fails as there will be no other institution empowered by the Constitution to check and balance the enormous powers of the Executive branch. We also call on the judiciary as the last hope to save our constitutional democracy and stand up for the rule of law, by doing that which is right in this case.”

Also, Ekweremadu said in a statement by his spokesman, Uche Anichukwu, that he had no hand in such an unlawful act.

He also described the accusation as “a form of intimidation and onslaught to rubbish him.”
In the statement, he said: “The hands of Sen Ike Ekweremadu are clean because he has no business whatsoever with the production of Senate Standing Orders.
“This is the latest attempt to try and convict him in the court of public opinion, notwithstanding that we do not want to mount a public defence. We would rather meet them in court if they so wish.
“We plead with our supporters across the nation to maintain the peace and go about their normal businesses unperturbed by this latest act of harassment and impunity.
“We want to reassure them that no form of intimidation and onslaught to rubbish him will make him shy away from diligently carrying out the constitutional duties. Ekweremadu will not legislate in fear, and he will certainly not fear to legislate.”
The nation's Number Six said it was surprising that there wee plans to arraying them when they were never formally invited by the police. He said it was on record that the police had in
July 2015, told the world that he was not at any time questioned over the said forgery.
“We are, therefore, as surprised as other Nigerians at the current twists and turns by the same police one year after and also after they had since submitted to the Attorney General of the Federation, their investigation report, which neither indicted nor even made the slightest mention of Senator Ike Ekweremadu. Moreso that the petitioners never named Ekweremadu in their petition in the first instance”, his spokesman said.
“We wish to state that we read the reports of the so-called police invitation and charges allegedly preferred against Senator Ekweremadu; the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki; and others on the pages of the newspapers like other Nigerian.
“Even as we try to reconcile the reports of the simultaneous police invitation and court processes, nobody has, till date, served the Deputy President of the Senate any letter of invitation by the police or court summons.
“The Office or person of the Deputy President of the Senate is not in the moon. The concerned authorities know how and where to reach Senator Ekweremadu if they want to. But, so far, everything remains in the realms of the usual propaganda onslaught to malign, bully, intimidate, and divert attention from the real challenges presently confronting the nation. However, when the bird jerks in the air, we can fathom where it would perch,” the statement concluded.
Nigerians mist be on their guard against these forces of darkness whose sole agenda is to trample on all democratic institutions and pave the way for a full-blown dictatorship. Having seen that they cannot achieve their grand design through lawful means, they have resorted to undermining the Senate through their sinister plot.

If they succeed in their plot (God forbid!), they will target the judiciary, media and other democratic institutions for destruction. This travesty must not be allowed to stand. Nigerians must guard this hard-won democracy. We don’t have any other country we can call ours.

Suleiman is a public affairs commentators based in Abuja

1. After reading in the national newspapers and online platforms of the planned charges of forgery and conspiracy preferred against the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, his Deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, immediate past Clerk of the National Assembly, Alhaji Salisu Maikasuwa and the Clerk of the Senate, Mr. Ben Efeturi and reviewing the circumstances leading to the filing of these charges, we are compelled to alert the good people of Nigeria and the international community, that our democracy is in danger and that the attempt by the Executive Arm of the Federal Government to muzzle the legislature and criminalise legislative processes in order to cause leadership change in the National Assembly is a return to the era of impunity and lack of respect for due process which we all fought to abolish.


2. We urge President Muhammadu Buhari to please call his Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, to order. The Senate of the Federal Republic voted freely to elect its leadership into office and continuing attempts to change that leadership through the wanton abuse of judicial processes cannot stand in the eyes of the world. It is clear that the Attorney General and party leaders behind this action either lack the understanding of the underlining principles of constitutional democracy, the concept of Separation of Powers, checks and balances and parliamentary convention or they just simply do not care if the present democracy in the country survives or collapses in their blinded determination to get Saraki and Ekweremadu by all means necessary, including abuse of office and sacking the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.


3. The Nigerian people have enough economic hardship at this time requiring the full attention and cooperation of the three arms of government, instead of these attempts to distract and politicise governance. We are in a state of economic emergency such that what the National Assembly needs at this time are executive bills and proposals aimed at resolving the crises of unemployment, currency depreciation, inflation, crime and insecurity. What the National Assembly needs now are executive bills to build and strengthen institutions to earn revenues, fight corruption and eliminate waste. Instead, we are getting hostile actions aimed at destabilising the National Assembly, distracting Senators from their oversight functions and ensuring good and accountable governance.


4. We must make it clear here to the individuals in the Executive arm and party leadership behind these plots not to mistake the maturity and hand of co-operation being extended to the Presidency by the legislature as a sign of weakness.

5. This latest plot is directed at forcing a change of leadership in the Senate or, in the extreme case, ground the Red Chamber of the National Assembly. Or how do one interpret a move in which the two presiding officers are being set up to be remanded in Kuje Prison or incapacitated from sitting at plenary through a day-to-day trial on a matter that is purely an internal affair of the Senate.


6. This obviously is a dangerous case of violation of the independence of the legislature, undue and unnecessary interference in the internal affairs of the Senate and blatant abuse of the judicial process. The matter now being criminalised was brought to the plenary of the Senate in session, over a year ago. And because it had no support, it was overruled and roundly defeated in chambers. To now take a matter that was resolved on the floor of the Senate to the police and then make it form the subject of a criminal prosecution of freely elected legislators beats all imagination of free thinking men all over the world. The implication is that any matter that fails on the floor of the National Assembly will now be taken to the Police, thereby endangering every Senator and House member. This current move clearly runs contrary to the Doctrine of Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances which are fundamental to the successful operation of the Presidential System of government. It runs counter to the principle outlined by the Supreme Court in the Adesanya Vs Senate case where it was held that nobody should seek to use the courts to achieve what he or she has failed to push through on the floor of the National Assembly.

7. This present efforts, therefore, is clearly a coup against the legislature with the ignoble aim to undermine its independence and subject the law making institution to the whims and caprices of the executive. It is a plan to return Nigeria to the dictatorial era which we have, as a nation, voted to reject. It is a dangerous trend with grave implications for the survival of our democracy and the integrity of the component institutions. This rule of men as against the rule of law is also the reason why the War Against Corruption, one of the cardinal objectives of the present administration, is losing credibility because people perceive it to be selective and, in most cases, aimed at settling political or partisan scores.

8. The Rules of the Senate and how the institution elects its leadership are internal affairs. The Rules of a new Senate are provided by the National Assembly bureaucracy. It has always been so since 1999. After the inauguration of the Senate, if Senators have objections to any part of the Rules, they can follow the procedure for changing it. Senators of the Eighth Senate have no control on the rules applied in the elections of June 9, 2015 because until after their inauguration, they were only Senators-elect, and therefore mere bystanders in the affairs of the Senate.


9. We therefore urge all Nigerians and the International Community to rise up and condemn this blatant attempt to subject the legislature to the control, whims and caprices of the executive. If the Legislative branch falls, democracy fails as there will be no other institution empowered by the Constitution to check and balance the enormous powers of the Executive branch. We also call on the judiciary as the last hope to save our constitutional democracy and stand up for the rule of law, by doing that which is right in this case.

Signed

Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi
Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs
June 19, 2016.

An Abuja High Court was yesterday told that the chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Mr. Danladi Yakubu Umar, met severally in his chamber with an accused person, Mr. Rasheed Taiwo Owolabi, a retired Deputy Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Customs Service, who was standing trial before him on false assets declaration charges.

Former Personal Assistant to the CCT Chairman, Mr. Ali Gambo Abdullahi, said this in court while giving evidence in the trial within trial on the disputed statement he made to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in respect of N10m bribe allegedly demanded by Umar from the accused person in order to strike out the charges against him.

The witness, who was cross-examined by the EFCC Counsel, Mr. Andrew Akoja, told Justice Chizobia Oji that it was at the end of the last meeting of the accused person with the CCT chairman that a sum of N1.8m was paid into his account by the ex-customs chief.

However, contrary to his statement made on August 12, 2013 that the N1.8m was part of the N10m bribe meant for the CCT chairman, the witness said that the money was deposited in his Zenith Bank account by the accused person to offset the medical bill of his ailing father.

The witness further told the court that he never met with the former Deputy Comptroller-General of the Customs until he started visiting the CCT Chairman in the course of his trial and that the money was paid to him immediately after the last visit to the CCT boss.

Confronted with the statement where he implicated the CCT Chairman on the N10m bribery saga, Abdullahi said that the statement he first made on the issue was made under duress and based on inducement promised him by two operatives of the EFCC: Abdulmajeed Ibrahim and Bala Mohammed, who investigated the petition of the ex-customs man in the matter.

Further cross-examined by the EFCC counsel, the witness who read out some portions of the statement identified his signature and admitted that he signed the statement and that he also signed an attestation confirming that his statement was made freely and voluntarily by him.

Earlier in his evidence-in-chief, Abdullahi had told the court that he was a protocol officer at the CCT when he was employed in 2009 and that he later became the Personal Assistant to the chairman.

He told the court that he got to know the former Customs officer during his numerous visits to his boss and that on the last visit, the said Taiwo met him with sympathisers on the plight of his father and that it was as a result of the plight of his father that prompted the payment of N1.8m to cater for his father.

The witness said that on August 12, 2013 he was invited to EFCC's office in Abuja where he was confronted with a petition from the said Rasheed Owolabi Taiwo on the alleged N10m bribery deal and that he made a statement on the same day and was allowed to go home on administrative bail but with a condition: to be visiting EFCC twice a week pending the completion of investigation.

He also informed the court that the following day, two Directors from CCT followed him to the EFCC to perfect his bail condition and that in the course of his several visits to the EFCC, he made several statements in addition to that of August 12, 2013.

The witness said that the additional statements where he exonerated the CCT Chairman was the true reflection of what transpired on the N10m bribe and not his first statement of August 12, where he implicated the CCT boss as the beneficiary of the N1.8m bribe.

He denied that his other statements where he exonerated the CCT boss were after-thoughts, adding that he was made to implicate his boss under duress and promises of inducements.

Meanwhile, the trial judge, Justice Chizobia Oji, has adjourned adoption of addresses in the matter till October 20, 2016.

It would be recalled that the witness had been arraigned before the court on charges of giving false information but his denial of his first statement on the bribery issue prompted the trial within trial by Justice Oji to determine his claim of duress before admitting the statement in evidence as exhibit.