₦airaland Forum

Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has broken his silence after an invitation by the Department of State Services over his comments on the activities of bandits in the country.

According to him, the invitation was necessary, and he had a productive interaction with the security agents who queried him.

The PUNCH reports that the Minister of Information and Orientation, Mohammed Idris, confirmed that the prominent Islamic cleric was invited for questioning while noting that no one was above the law.He (Gumi) had offered to dialogue with bandits who abducted from Kuriga Government Secondary and LEA Primary Schools in the Chikun Local Government Area of the Kaduna State.

He urged President Bola Tinubu not to repeat the mistake made by former President Muhammadu Buhari, who he said refused to dialogue with bandits.

The abducted Kaduna children were released on Sunday, with the government saying no ransom was paid for their release.

Gumi, in a social media post titled, ‘Only one person is above the law: The Innocent!’ on Tuesday, wrote, “Last night, I got many frantic calls from well-wishers and journalists about a news item that I was interviewed by security. There is absolutely no cause for alarm.

"Yes, we had a productive interaction on how to curb banditry as we are all trying – each in his own sphere – to tackle the monster bedevilling the nation. There was no animosity but courtesy and full of respect.

“We all need as a nation to unite and work in synergy to achieve an everlasting peace. I thank you for your concern. May Allah continue to protect us all from all evil.”

Gumi had previously negotiated on behalf of state governments to free abducted persons.

Last week, the Federal Government named his associate, Tukur Mamu, among persons linked with terrorism financing.

In his response, Gumi condemned the list saying only a court of competent jurisdiction can so tag his associates and others who appeared on the list as terrorism financiers.

The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has berated the lack of tracking equipment for security agencies in the nation’s capital, saying his administration will purchase drones for surveillance at border communities.
He singled out the FCT commands of the police and the Department of State Services, which he said lacked ordinary tracking devices.

The minister spoke during a chat with journalists on Thursday.

He said, “It’s unfortunate to say this, that mostly the security agencies, in particular I will say, the police here, are not adequately equipped. In fact, you cannot believe it that the police command of the FCT do not even have ordinary tracking device. You cannot believe that.

“Not only them, even the FCT Command of the Department of State Services do not even have. And the only one they have is at the headquarters. So, if there are things to do, they have to go to the headquarters, which is not supposed to be.

"Luckily, I told Mr President that look, we have to do something, and there must be emergency procurement of this equipment.”

He explained that his administration had earlier applied to the Bureau of Public Procurement for emergency procurement of equipment for the security agencies, but was denied, until the President gave approval in January, following the abduction of some persons.

Wike also said that the FCT Administration under his leadership planned to purchase drones to enhance and monitor security, particularly at the boundaries of the FCT.

"In fact, that is one of the approvals Mr President gave to us. We are going to purchase our own drones to help in surveillance and in operation, particularly within these boundaries that the topography is so bad, so hilly, and where you have the forests. And we make sure that it is provided in the 2024 statutory budget. I briefed this to the National Assembly yesterday (Wednesday) and they were highly elated,” he said.

First Lady Oluremi Tinubu says at the age of 60 years, she is too old to be afraid of death.

The president’s wife said this at the palace of Emir of Bauchi, Dr Rilwanu Suleiman Adamu, on Tuesday.

The First Lady visited Bauchi to commission an Alternative High School and ICT centre.

But during the visit, the issue of a cleric, Sunusi Abubakar, who issued death threat against Tinubu’s wife, was discussed.

In a viral video, the cleric had described her as an infidel who should be killed, a comment he withdrew after nationwide outrage.

In her speech at the palace, the First Lady said, “I want to thank His Excellency for assuring me that I am safe but what I said is that I am too old to be afraid. If God has granted me 60 years, I think I shouldn’t be afraid of death but I thank God I had the courage to come. Nigeria belongs to all of us and this is the time to unite more than ever before.

"Nigeria needs prayers and we believe that God will answer our prayers. I am here today to perform official duty and also pay my Royal respect to His Royal Highness the Emir of Bauchi and to thank him for the warm reception we received today which is a great honour to me and I truly appreciate that.”

Earlier, Governor Bala Mohammed apologised to the wife of the President, on behalf of the entire people of Bauchi over the threat.

Mohammed had said, “You have distinguished yourself, not only as a distinguished senator, but a politician that has opened new frontiers of politics and politicking; because we have set aside all the differences of politics and partisanship and, of course I am aware of some of the challenges and threat to your life and person by somebody from this state. I was so disappointed and frustrated; but you made my day, as a courageous mother, you decided to come to Bauchi.

"Your Royal Highness, this distinguished lady has really shown that Nigeria is working, Nigeria is one and nobody can play politics with our lives. We are grateful and you are more important to us than our own lives and nothing will happen to you and we will deal with him and Allah will deal with him by the grace of God.

"On behalf of the Royal Highness and the people of Bauchi, we apologise for the national embarrassment; it will not happen again.”

Against the backdrop of the resurgence of the mass abduction of pupils, the Federal Government has said schools in 14 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, are at risk of attacks by bandits and insurgents.

The National Coordinator of Financing Safe Schools in Nigeria, Hajia Halima Iliya, confirmed to The PUNCH on Sunday, that the data of at-risk schools had been collected for intervention.

Iliya declined to identify the states, but the Commander of the National Safe Schools Response Coordination Centre, Nigeria Security, and Civil Defence Corps, Hammed Abodunrin, said they included Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Benue, Yobe, Katsina, FCT, Kebbi, Sokoto, Plateau, Zamfara and three others.

No fewer than 465 pupils, teachers, and women abducted in the past week are still in the custody of their captors.

Fifteen pupils of an Islamiya school in Sokoto State were kidnapped in the early hours of Saturday, less than 72 hours after 287 schoolchildren and teachers were abducted from the LEA primary school and the Government Secondary School both at Kuriga, in the Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

However, 28 of them were on Sunday reported to have escaped 259 in captivity.

A few days before the Kaduna incident, 200 female Internally Displaced Persons were taken away by terrorists in Borno State.

The women were kidnapped in Ngala, the headquarters of Gambarou Ngala in Borno state while fetching firewood in the bush.

On Sunday, there were reports that nine of them had regained freedom remaining 191 in captivity.

Penultimate Thursday, bandits abducted an undisclosed number of people in the Gonin-Gora community in the same Chikun LGA of Kaduna, prompting residents to barricade the Kaduna-Abuja Expressway in protest.

As a response to the April 2014 abduction of the Chibok school girls, the Safe Schools Initiative was launched by the United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education, Gordon Brown, alongside the Nigerian Global Business Coalition for Education and private sector leaders at the World Economic Forum Africa.

Safe schools

The initiative entails a combination of school-based interventions, community interventions to protect schools, and special measures for at-risk populations.

The Federal Government inaugurated the Safe Schools Fund with a $10m contribution and another $10m pledge from the private sector.

In further support for the programme, the Federal Government budgeted N15bn for the SSI in the 2023 fiscal year.

Speaking on the programme in an interview with one of our correspondents on Sunday, Iliya explained that the implementation of the SSI had started in several states.

Responding to questions on what was being done to fortify schools against bandit attacks, she said, “The project has taken off. We commenced implementation in 2023 with the flag off of the National Safe Schools Response Coordination Centre, which we intend to replicate at state and local government levels.

“The states have selected most at-risk schools in each senatorial zone for the implementation of National Plan on Financing Safe Schools Programme (2023-2026).’’

In response to the development, the coordinator explained that state governors had expressed plans to provide funding for the SSI for the protection of pupils and teachers in the identified locations.

She added, “Some states have made provision for the Safe Schools Programme in their 2024 budget in line with the National Plan. We intend to engage the states to guide them through the implementation.

"We’ve communicated to all the states; letters have been written for inclusion of Safe Schools in their budget and for them to select the most at-risk schools. More than 11 states have responded. The budget from states is for them to work on physical infrastructure such as fencing state schools and put other control measures.’’

Iliya further disclosed that the Federal Ministry of Education and the NSCDC had conducted some training for their men, adding that the Nigeria Police had trained senior officers, including all divisional police officers across the country on Safe Schools.

According to her, the security forces have commissioned equipment that would be deployed to various state commands for the operations.

"Data of at-risk schools from 14 states, including the FCT have so far been collected for intervention. The Defence headquarters and DSS (Department of Security Services) are expected to mainstream Safe Schools through capacity building of their officers. N15b was provided and released as takeoff in 2023; utilisation is still ongoing,’’ she stated.

The Commander of the National Safe Schools Response Coordination Centre, NSCDC, Abodunrin, said the four-year project was being implemented simultaneously in all the states but in phases, adding that it began with the sensitisation and training of security personnel late last year.

He condemned the latest abductions of school pupils, noting that the attackers operated in locations with poor telecommunication service.

Abodunrin said, “The attacks are unfortunate. What the attackers do is to look for soft targets. They now go to villages where they feel they can quickly operate before help can come. They also target when communication networks are bad. The cases in Ekiti and Kaduna are examples where community members could not quickly call for help. There is also the need to raise more awareness in the communities.

"There is a need for more cooperation. Schools are to register on www.nssrcc.gov.ng detailing their addresses and at least a phone number. Registration is free. Any registered school will automatically be on a database with their coordinates for easy accessibility.

"There are patrols. Global standards do not allow security operatives to be in schools for various reasons. Those who want to target them may kill or injure students and other members of the school communities in the process. There will be more patrols.’’

The commander also said that since security requires personal attention, students and teachers would be given training on personal safety and protection.

“Equipment and platforms are also being developed to facilitate easy communication even without a network. They will be trained on this too. Capacity of various communities are being built in the areas of personal security and information management for effective preventive and response efforts,’’ he disclosed.

The President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, has said this year’s Ramadan fasting will commence on Monday.

This is contained in a terse statement by a member of the National Moon Sighting Committee (NMSC) Mallam Yahaya Muhammad Boyi.

The Sultan is expected to make a formal declaration later in the night.

“The Sultanate Council Sokoto has declared Monday 11/3/2024 as the first day of Ramadan 1445 AH, Yahaya Muhammad Boyi, Sarkin Malaman Sokoto,” the statement said.

The Sultan had on Friday urged the Muslims across the country to look out this year’s Ramadan after sunset on Sunday March 10, which is equivalent to 29th Sha’aban 1445 AH.

Prof. Salisu Shehu, the Deputy Secretary General of NSCIA, in a statement enjoined the Nigerian Muslim Ummah to search for the crescent of Ramadan 1445 AH immediately after sunset on Sunday, 10th March 2024 which is equivalent to 29th Sha’aban 1445 AH.

Governors of the 36 states of the federation say they have been introducing different strategies and measures to end the current economic hardship and food crisis in their states.

In a report signed by its Acting Head of Media, Halimah Salihu Ahmed, the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) said the governors were committed to ending the pain and suffering of citizens in the land.

Recall that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had met with the state governors at the Council Chambers of the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, in February, where issues of hike in food prices, economic hardship and others were deliberated upon with a view to preferring solutions.

The NGF report disclosed that Kwara State governor and chairman of the NGF, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq in collaboration with Governors Agbu Kefas of Taraba State; Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State; and Ahmed Ododo of Kogi State were pushing for increased crop production through the federal Ministry of agriculture to address food shortages.

The report reads in part, “In Kano State, authorities raided warehouses where traders are suspected of hoarding food supplies. In Yobe State, government banned bulk purchases of grains from local markets to stop hoarding and exports across Nigeria’s borders.

“In Niger State, Governor Mohammed Umar Bago announced a ban on the mass purchase of foodstuffs from local markets. He ordered security forces to confiscate trucks carrying products in bulk and share the food to the people.

"The Ekiti State Government has committed the sum of N1 billion to improve food production, especially to embark on land preparation, driven by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security’s tractorization subsidy scheme, and an input supply programme to support small scale farmers.

"In Zamfara State, last week, Governor Dauda Lawal hosted the Sweden Ambassador, Annika Hahn-Englund, on partnership on how to grow the state economy and address the current hardships. The Lagos State, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, expressed his government’s willingness to expand its relationship with the Netherlands in different sectors, especially the agricultural sector to ensure food security in the state.”

KingEarnest:
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Women living with hearing impairment in Niger have appealed to men who are looking for life partners, to seek their hands in marriage, as the condition will not prevent them from building a healthy family.

The women spoke through their leader, Hajiya Salamatu Hammed, during the celebration for this year’s World Hearing Day on Sunday in Minna.

Hammed urged men not to neglect deaf women, saying “We are marriage materials like any other woman.”

She, therefore, called on all eligible men to feel free to approach any deaf woman for marriage, adding, “We are like any other woman who gives birth to normal children.”

She called on all tiers of government to employ interpreters at all public health institutions in the state to enable people with hearing problems to have access to quality health care.

According to Hammed, “I was not born as a deaf child, but I started having problems after an operation during delivery which affected my voice. I can hear but lost my voice as a result of the operation carried out on me to bring out my baby.”

She said that none of her children have a hearing problem, confirming that those women with hearing impairment can still give birth to normal children.

In his presentation, an expert on Audiology, Dr. Sidi Maku, Permanent Secretary, Special Duties, in the state Ministry of Health and Hospital Services, lamented the neglect of persons with hearing challenges in the country.

Maku said people with hearing impairment are few but neglected, praying to God to grant succour to those with the problem.

“You may not appreciate until you see someone who cannot hear, so that is why we are here to celebrate it. The deaf may not know anything happening around them,” he said.

He warned that hearing impairment can be caused by listening to loud music or slapping toddlers on their ears.

According to him, “using feathers, cotton board to clean the ears can also lead to the defect.

“Hereditary from parents is also a cause.”

The Expert said, “it is possible for deaf parents to beget children without hearing problems.”

Maku, who was a former Commissioner for Health in the state, revealed that the state has only three active audiologists for its Ear Nose Throat (ENT) clinic.

He added that all three surgeons are based in the state capital.

The Medical Doctor said that over 270 million people suffer from hearing impairment globally as a result of neglect, adding that Nigeria has only 176 ENT surgeons. (NAN)

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, Olatunbosun Oyintiloye has urged state governors and senior civil servants to give President Bola Tinubu maximum support as he tries to fix Nigeria’s economy.

Oyintiloye said that it is not possible for the president alone to achieve his Renewed Hope Agenda for the people without the support of the governors and top civil servants, who were the engine room of the government.

He said this while speaking with newsmen on Sunday in Osogbo.

Oyintiloye said that the governors needed to support the various initiatives of the president in fixing the economy by utilising their monthly allocation for poverty alleviation in their various states.

The APC Chieftain said that the various efforts of the president in fixing the economy may not be immediately visible to many Nigerians, if the state governors refused to utilise their monthly allocation for the benefit of the masses in their states.

He said: “This is the time for state governors, irrespective of political affiliations to join the president in fixing the economy by attending to the welfare of the people.

"What the president is doing at the centre to fix the economy will only be meaningful to the people, if the state governors can lend a helping hands.

“What the governors are currently collecting as monthly allocation is more than in enough to lift the people out of poverty in relation to what the president is doing.

"While the masses are shouting the name of the president at every slight discomfort, they should also hold their governors accountable, asking them what they are doing with the improved monthly allocation.

To set the record straight, the governors have to come out and tell people of their states the amount they have collected since June last year and how they have administered the funds.

“In the reckoning of most Nigerians now, the governors are seen as part of those sabotaging efforts of the president to lessen effects of the removal of fuel subsidy on the people.

"We are in a very critical situation in which unnecessary bureaucracy which can hinder the efforts of the president be suspended.

“Any act of sabotage in whatever form in the civil service should be rooted out for the sake of the benefit of the masses.”

Oyintiloye, however, urged Nigerians to be patient with the president, adding that with all the various interventions the president is putting in place, the country will soon attain the height of desired greatness.

The North-West, South-West and South-South geo-political zones of the country may not field a presidential candidate in the 2027 general election if ongoing moves to alter relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) scales through.

Sunday PUNCH exclusively gathered that a bill “For an Act to alter the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) to make provisions for rotation of power among the geo-political zones, senatorial zones and federal constituencies in presidential, governorship and senatorial elections in Nigeria,” is currently before the House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Review.

Sponsored by member representing Apa/Agatu Federal Constituency, Benue State, Ojema Ojetu, the proposed legislation, if passed into law, will bar zones that have produced the President of Nigeria since the return to democratic governance in 1999.

The bill seeks to alter Section 133 of the constitution by inserting sub-sections 2, 3 and 4 to the nation’s extant laws.

A copy of the bill exclusively obtained by Sunday PUNCH indicated that sub-section 2 reads thus, “The Office of the President of Nigeria shall revolve round the six geo- political zones, with each state holding the office for a maximum of two terms of four years each, to give every section and state in Nigeria a sense of inclusion, participation and representation in Nigeria’s democracy.”

Sub-section 3 of the bill provides that “Any zone in Nigeria which has produced a President of the Federal Republic shall not be eligible to produce another President until the other zones take their turns, while (4) says, “The effective date for consideration in the rotation of power shall be 29th of May, 1999 when the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) became effective.”

The bill, according to Ojotu, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party also seeks alteration to the 1999 Constitution with the insertion of sub-sections 6 and 7.

In (6), the proposed law provides that “The office of the governor of a state in Nigeria shall revolve round all the three senatorial zones in the state, to give every indigene of the state a sense of inclusion, participation and representation in the development of the state; while (7) states that “Every senatorial zone in a state which has produced governor of that state in a democratically conducted election shall not be eligible to produce a governor, unless and until other senatorial zones produce governors of the state.”

That is not all as Ojotu’s proposed legislation also seeks an alteration of Section 48 of the Constitution with the introduction of sub-sections 1 (a) and (b).

1(a) provides that “Senatorial election shall rotate round all the federal constituencies in the Senatorial zone to give a sense of inclusion, participation and representation in the constituencies to engineer social progress and development;” and (b) says that “Every federal constituency in a Senatorial district which has produced a Senator shall not be eligible to produce a Senator, unless and until all other Federal Constituencies produce a Senator.”

The North Central has only produced military Heads of State but never an elected president since the attainment of political independence in 1960.

Following the return to democracy, Nigerians elected Olusegun Obasanjo from Ogun State, South-West Nigeria in 1999, even as he went on to win re-election in 2003 and stayed on till May 29, 2007.

Obasanjo was succeeded by the late Umaru Yar’ Adua from Katsina State in 2007.

Yar’Adua died in office in 2010 and was succeeded by the then Vice President, Goodluck Jonathan (South-South) who upon the expiration of that tenure, secured the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party and won the 2011 presidential election.

Jonathan lost his second-bid for the presidential seat to Muhammadu Buhari, another man from Katsina State in 2015 and handed the baton in 2023 to the incumbent President, Bola Tinubu from Lagos State, South-West Nigeria.

Should Ojotu secures the legislative nod of his colleagues in Abuja, he would require the support of the state Assemblies for the bill to go through.

Nigeria has been ranked eighth in the list of most happy countries in Africa according to the 2023 World Happiness Report.

As of March 2023, Finland is the happiest country in the world for the sixth consecutive time.

In Africa, Mauritius emerges as the happiest country on the continent, boasting a happiness score of 5.902. Its extremely happy landscapes and diverse culture undoubtedly contribute to this high ranking.

Algeria is a close second, with a score of 5.392, reflecting a sense of well-being prevalent in North Africa.14 Oct 2023.

The World Happiness Report is a report by the United Nations that measures national happiness.

The Data is primarily from the Gallup World Poll and based on respondent ratings of their own lives.

Here is a list of most happiest African countries

1. Mauritius

2. Algeria

3. South Africa

4. DR Congo

5. Guinea

6. Côte d’Ivoire

7. Gabon

8. Nigeria

9. Cameroon

10. Mozambique

A Professor of Social Ethics at Boston University, Nimi Wariboko, says President Bola Tinubu has not produced any result so far to show that he came prepared into office.

"Eight months into a government system is too long not to have a plan,” the author and investment banker said on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, aired on Channels Television on Friday.

He lamented that the President, who won the February 2023 presidential election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had no laid-down plan to cushion the economic effects of the petrol subsidy removal and other policies.

Wariboko described the current administration’s policies as “knee-jerk reactions”, saying that the government of the day lacks vision.

He said, “There’s no point complaining about (ex-President Muhammadu) Buhari. There’s no point complaining about the goodness or the expectation of Buhari. Now, the ball is in his (Tinubu’s) court and he has to do it because he said it was his turn.

"People keep saying he was prepared; he’s been a politician but
the test of everything is the result we are seeing and I don’t think
we have seen any results so far that would justify that accolade being heaped upon him.

The Bible says: If your strength fails you on the day of adversity. it is small. I always tell people that: If your strength fails you on the day of adversity, it was not there. It’s a simple case; we are not seeing the result, we are not even seeing
a clear vision of where the country is going.”

Nigeria is battling rising inflation, food inflation, forex crisis, economic hardship and high cost of living occasioned by the removal of petrol subsidy, attracting protests in parts of the country.

The Nigerian naira has seen a dip in the last nine months since the Tinubu administration collapsed the foreign exchange window. The naira experienced an all-time low, falling from about N700/$1 last May to over N1500/$1 at the moment.

Similarly, the price per litre of Premium Motor Spirit also known as petrol jumped over 350% from N184 last May to over N600 at the moment, depending on the location.

The country’s wobbling economy has been a source of worry to economists, opposition parties, labour unions and civil society organisations who continue to call on the Tinubu administration to fulfil its campaign promises. The Federal Government has reeled out some measures in the last few weeks but Nigerians continue to grapple with the weight of high cost of living.

A BUA truck conveying cartons of spaghetti has been attacked by hoodlums at Dogarawa axis of Zaria-Kano expressway.

Dogarawa is a settlement located on the outskirt of Zaria along the expressway.

This is coming barely one week after hoodlums hijacked trailers loaded with foodstuffs in the Suleja area of Niger State, stealing bags of rice and other food items amidst widespread hardship in the country.

The trailers were said to be heading for Abuja from Kaduna when the thugs blocked the road and made burnfires on the highway.

An eyewitness disclosed that the Friday incident occurred around 3.15pm after the driver of the truck parked by the road side to observe prayer.

He said immediately after the driver parked, the hoodlums started carting away cartons of spaghetti.

The eyewitness, who described the incident as unfortunate and regrettable, said such act had never occurred around the area since he had been trading there for more than 10 years.

“Not a single cartoon of the spaghetti was left by the hoodlums on the truck,” the source added.

It was learnt that a police team deployed to the scene of the incident arrested five suspects.

Inmates at the Jos Correctional Centre in Plateau State protested on Friday over the plan to reduce their food ration.

They expressed dissatisfaction over the decision, a situation that forced the prison authorities to fire tear gas canisters and gunshots into the air to bring the situation under control.

Sources at the correctional centre indicated that the contractor in charge of food supply to the centre had complained to the authority about the high cost of food items, especially rice which is a stable menu of the inmates will have to be adjusted from four times to twice in a week and will be substituted by either grains or garri.

This decision seemed not to go down well with the inmates as they expressed their grievances on Friday during a routine briefing by the official in charge.

Confirming the incident to journalists at the Nigerian Correctional Service in Jos, the Controller of Corrections Plateau State Command, Raphael Ibinuhi, stated that tear gas canisters and firing shots in the air were applied to disperse the unruly inmates when they refused to return to their cells.

“By the time the inmates were called this morning for briefing, they were not happy that the period for consumption of rice has been reduced from four times to two in a week and expressed dissatisfaction on the development,” Ibinuhi said.

“I instructed the officer in charge to return them to their cells but instead they became violent and started throwing stones at the personnel. In response and to keep the situation from getting out of hand, we have to resort to firing tear gas canisters and gunshots which enable the handsmen to return the inmates to the cells. Some of the personnel sustained minor injuries from the stones thrown at them but no inmates were injured during as the situation was brought under control.”

The Jos Custodial Centre has 1,064 inmates comprising 1,035 males and 19 females. Of the figure, those awaiting trial are made up of 647 males and 14 females. While convicted inmates consist of 205 males and four female, inmates on death roll are 131.

Following the rising cost of living in the country, many Nigerians have demonstrated, asking the Federal Government to ameliorate their pains.

President Bola Tinubu has called for patience, saying there are benefits of his economic policies in the long term. He however condemned Monday’s nationwide protests embarked upon by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), describing it as unacceptable.

“Allow me to throw a jab here. The Labour Union should understand that no matter how much we cling to our freedom and rights, to call for a strike within nine months of an administration is unacceptable,” Tinubu said in Lagos while commissioning the Lagos Red Line Train connecting Agbado to Oyingbo.

A retired judge of the Federal High Court, Ibrahim Buba, has accused politicians in the country of overworking the judiciary arm of government to keep democracy going.

He noted that oftentimes, it is easier for people to notice issues with the judiciary rather than the bigger problems with politicians and the political system.

According to him, a society won’t improve unless the political leaders follow the rules laid out in their party constitutions and the national constitution.

Justice Buba spoke in Abuja on Friday while delivering a keynote address at a function conference organised by a group, Tap Initiative, with support from the Open Society Funds.

He said, “The Nigerian judiciary, is undoubtedly being overworked by politicians to sustain democracy, it is very easy for an outsider not to see the ‘cow” on the head of the politician and political class, to quickly see the ‘lice’ on the head of the judiciary.

"No amount of judicial activism by the judges can better society if the political class is not willing to play by the rules of the game, according to the constitution of their parties enacted by them and given to themselves, a fotiori the constitution of Nigeria. ”

Buba urged politicians to focus on politics of development and advancement to avoid wasting resources on inter-party fights, election petitions, and dragging the judiciary into a conflict of “do or die.

"If we play politics of development, politics of advancement we will not waste resources into an inter-party fight, election petitions and by extension, dragging the judiciary in the mud of the conflict of do or die.

"We will be better off. our experience has shown that there are no other areas of litigation that drag the judiciary into conflict and try to splash mud on the judiciary than the political cases,” he stated

Buba lamented that politicians who are not qualified as judges attempt to influence the judiciary’s interpretation of the law.

He, however, urged the judiciary to appoint individuals who can challenge the actions of the other arms of government on the bench.

He added, “In the three arms of government, it is only the judiciary that has stringent conditions of qualification. Our judges must have a minimum of 10 years post-call to be appointed judges of a high court, while a school certificate whether pass or fail or its equivalent can attain offices in the other arms of government.

It is they who are in politics and try to dictate to the judiciary what the law is, and what should be done.

“It is in this regard, the members of the bar must jealously guard and guide their profession and ensure that the judiciary gets the right people on the bench who can call off the bluff of the other arms of government in checks and balances.”

The Executive Director of Tap Initiative, Martins Obono, said the primary objective of the conference was to facilitate a more in-depth analysis of the issue of judicial accountability.

He added that the overarching goal was to explore strategies for enhancing public trust in the judiciary.

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