The Committee meeting was suspended till further notice due to the absence of some of the invitees, including the Minister and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment.
Weakling never get respect. They know the only meeting the dare not snub is the presidents summoning. Its funny the clowns in the nass won't do anything to reign then under control. Its very pathetic but deserved.
He regretted that this week’s failure by the Minister of Environment to appear before the National Assembly Joint Committee was not the first time he was snobbing the Panel, warning that the Committee would no longer tolerate the disrespect.
They know they won't be sacked, have budgets cut or department eliminated. NASS has proven they're all bark no bite with their constant whining. If they want them to obey they will have to take power by passing laws and constitutional amendments. NASS needs the power to impeach any federal civil officer unilaterally. Currently the president needs to ask before they can act which is foolish. Just tailor the proposed amendment after the US Article 2 section 4 and the appointees will be more accountable to the NASS.
The National Assembly Joint Committee on Host Communities, Wednesday, condemned the Minister of Environment, Mohammed Abdullahi, for failing to appear before it to explain the state of the Ogoni land clean-up project.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Host Communities, Senator Bio Degi- Eremienyo, disclosed this in Abuja while briefing journalists on the repeated failure of the Minister to honour the invitations of the Joint Committee.
“The decision reached by the Senate and the House of Representatives Joint Committee was to the effect that the Minister has to be summoned.
“I don’t think he has any choice than to turn up for the engagement because it is for the interest of the people that we represent and there’s no reason why the Minister will refuse to respond to the invitation as important as invitation that has to do with the hydrocarbon pollution remediation program in Niger Delta Ogoni clean up,” he said.
He regretted that this week’s failure by the Minister of Environment to appear before the National Assembly Joint Committee was not the first time he was snobbing the Panel, warning that the Committee would no longer tolerate the disrespect.
In his words, “As a matter of fact, this is not the first or second time the Minister was refusing to answer our call or invitation, the Senators and the Honourable members as members of the Committee are not happy about it”.
Considering the level of environmental degradation suffered by the people in the Niger Delta, the Senator said the clean-up done so far to improve on the condition of the region was not yet satisfactory.
He, however, affirmed that they were making the needed effort to achieve significant result in pollution control and cleaner environment in Niger Delta.
He expressed optimism that with the passage of the Petroleum Industry Act by the National Assembly, significant result would be achieved in addressing the environmental problems in Niger Delta.
The lawmaker added, “Well, I will not say that there’s no improvement but the improvement is not satisfactory. We are making progress and I hope that with the passage of the Petroleum Industry Act by the Parliament, it is expected that there will be significant result in the activities of pollution control and to achieve cleaner environment in Niger Delta which is the expectation based on the content of the PIA”.
The Committee meeting was suspended till further notice due to the absence of some of the invitees, including the Minister and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment.
Cross Rivers State to be specific, magistrates not too long ago - January 2021- carried placards and organized protests because their salaries had not been paid for 24 months and nothing had been done to provide them good working conditions. State Governors also intervene unnecessarily in the appointment of judges, and seek to compromise them.
Judges are nothing special. The three sets of government workers that get their paycheck on time and complete are security agencies because they have the guns and can walk out, Executives and state legislatures. Everyone else gets shafted because they're expendable.
Or alternatively, any of our Senators or House of Reps Member can sponsor a bill to that effect.
But I’m sure they are more interested in clipping the wings of governors than sponsoring people oriented bills.
That would be a good idea. If Buhari was strategic then he could just repackage this executive order as an executive bill. If they dont just use the bully pulpit to shame them and explain the issue to the ignorant public. The legislatures are a major reason the country is messed up. I feel like the Governors could Mount a successful challenge to it again but never hurts to try.
Penguin2: The Executive Order was in order only that it ran contrary to the constitution.
State Judiciaries and Legislature need to be saved from mini tyrants who call themselves governors.
What specifically is stopping any state legislature from passing laws to address what Buhari doing? The Supreme Court clearly put the the ball in the court by citing federalism. Things like state elections dates and executives order 10 can be passed by the legislature. The reason they dont is lazy spineless yes men. They already control the purse.
Read below how they admit to being stooges on their own accord. Nigerian boot licking culture is the problem here. There's no set of laws that will fix these sort of beta males. We need rugged individuals who don't avoid conflict at all cost for harmony.
“When you pass a private bill such as this, governors would not likely give assent to the bill. This is the complaint we always receive from our colleagues in other states.
“For instance, the current assembly in Borno has passed about 25 bills, 20 are executive bills while five are private bills. But, only the 20 executive bills have been assented by the governor even as he promised to assent to the remaining five. We also have problems vetoing bills in order to avoid fracas with the executives.”
SPEAKER of Borno State House of Assembly,Hon. Abdulkarim Lawan
Most of the issues stem from a very flawed Constitution and the fact people expect Abuja to solve the local problems. The state legislatures are the major issue people ignore because they are obsessed with national solutions. State legislatures never veto the governor or pass any laws reigning in executive excess. If they did you wouldn't have as many issues.
"This country is still a Federation and the 1999 Constitution it operates is a federal one. The Constitution provides a clear delineation of powers between the state and the Federal Government. The President has overstepped the limit of his constitutional powers by issuing the Executive Order 10. The country is run on the basis of the rule of law."
On Friday, the Supreme Court of Nigeria in a split decision voted 6-1 to nullify Executive Order 10 through which the Federal Government of Nigeria had sought in 2019, to give effect to Section 81 (3) and Section 121(3) of the 1999 Constitution, as altered by the 4th Alteration Act No. 4 of 2017, with regard to the financial autonomy of state judiciary and legislature which had been observed more in the breach by state governments and their Chief Executives. The Governors of the 36 states of the Federation had kicked against the Executive Order as an abbreviation of their rights under the 1999 Constitution. Collectively they elected to go to court, and hence asked the Court (a) to declare the Executive Order 10, unconstitutional and illegal; (b) compel the Federal Government to take up funding of capital projects for State High Courts, Sharia Court of Appeal and Customary Court of Appeal, and (c) refund to the 36 states a sum of N66 billion, being amount which they claimed to have spent on capital projects for the three courts in their respective states.To resolve the matter, the Supreme Court in addition to its panel of seven Justices invited five Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) as amici curiae (friends of the Court). On Friday, the court ruled 6-1 that the Executive Order 10 is ultra vires, unconstitutional, illegal, and therefore null, void and of no effect whatsoever. Their Lordships also resolved, 4-3 that the 1999 Constitution already expressly spells out the responsibility of the states and the Federal Government concerning the funding of the State High Courts, Sharia Court of Appeal and the Customary Court of Appeal, even if it is silent on capital projects. In sum, the Supreme Court rejected the request of the Attorney General of Abia State and 35 others with regard to the aforementioned (b) and (c) parts of their prayers.
Many commentators have so far tried to be diplomatic in their response to the ruling, but from the outcome as reported, it is not difficult to see that what the Supreme Court has done is to take a technical view of the matter and offer a strict interpretation of the Constitution, the powers of the President, the relationship between the states, and the limits of the Federal Government in the exercise of its powers as spelled out in the 1999 Constitution. Did the President of Nigeria actually act ultra vires? Justice Mohammed Dattijo, delivering the lead judgment declared that "This country is still a Federation and the 1999 Constitution it operates is a federal one. The Constitution provides a clear delineation of powers between the state and the Federal Government. The President has overstepped the limit of his constitutional powers by issuing the Executive Order 10. The country is run on the basis of the rule of law." Okay. The law is what the judge says it is. The powers of the various tiers of government are defined in Sections 4, 5, and 6 of the 1999 Constitution pursuant to the doctrine of the separation of powers. Executive powers are vested in the President in Sections 5, 130, 132, 148(1), 151 such that in general, the President of Nigeria is one of the most powerful executives in the world invested literally with the status of a constitutional monarch. In Section 130 (2), he is actually described as "the \Head of State, the Chief Executive of the Federation and Commander-in-chief of the Federation." The strong effect of the ruling by the Supreme Court in A.G. Abia and 35 ors vs. AG Federation is that there are limits to these powers, nonetheless.
By seeking to enforce and extend Section 121(3) of the 1999 Constitution, the President, in other words, encroaches on the right of state governments to receive money from the Federation Account on behalf of the state judiciary and legislature and transmit their share to them. Thus, the Federal Executive overreaches itself when it assumes it has the powers to strengthen Section 121(3) through what amounts to additional legislation. It is the duty of the legislative arm of government to make or amend laws under Section 6. EO 10 further amounts to an interpretation of the law by the Federal Government and that Executive arm of government acting as adjudicator. The powers in that regard belong to the judiciary under Section 6. So, while the EO 10 would have protected the judiciary against the rascality of state Governors riding roughshod over the judiciary and the legislature at the sub-national level, and the judiciary would have been a beneficiary of the order, their Lordships looked beyond benefit to the judiciary and took a strictly purist and technocratic view of the law. It would be wrong to assume that the judiciary has ruled against itself. If the Federal Government is allowed to overreach itself and the President permitted to usurp the functions of the legislature and the judiciary, that would be a prescription for anarchy and an endorsement of dictatorship.
The lead judgment emphasizes the rule of law, separation of powers, the limits of powers and the federal principle. I would like to see the state legislatures begin to perform their oversight functions, to call over-bearing Governors to order. The judgment has also been described as victory for the Governors. It is most ironic that these same Governors are benefiting from a principle they themselves do not respect, an emphasis on the rule of law they have no regard for. In various states, Nigerian Governors are worse than tyrants. They seek to control judges, bribe them, humiliate them and violate their independence and integrity. It will be recalled that in one state, Cross Rivers State to be specific, magistrates not too long ago - January 2021- carried placards and organized protests because their salaries had not been paid for 24 months and nothing had been done to provide them good working conditions. State Governors also intervene unnecessarily in the appointment of judges, and seek to compromise them. As for the State legislatures, state Governors preside over them remotely. They behave like messiahs with the control of everything else. State legislatures in Nigeria are in any case pathetic. The members behave like the Governors' houseboys, especially when the Governor's party has the majority in the House. I argue that although the 36 State Governors may have secured partial victory in the matter of EO 10 with the Federal Government, but they lack the right to claim any moral high ground.
The judex may never at any time go to court to sue the state Executive arm of government, that would be strange but the abuse of privilege by state Governors actually got so bad, that in 2015, the Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) went on strike for two weeks. In 2020, they shut down the courts for 64 days. State Governments hurriedly signed a Memorandum of Action (MoA), the National Judicial Council also made an appeal before the strike was suspended. JUSUN asked for financial autonomy for the judiciary. The body insisted on compliance with the Constitutional provision which places the budgets of state judiciary as a first line charge on the Constitution. They have a point.. I would also like to see the state legislatures begin to perform their oversight functions, to call over-bearing Governors to order.
What the Governors do to Local governments is even worse. They rely on the powers of control conferred on the state government under Section 7 to render local councils totally ineffective. Governors decide on whether elections would hold at that level of government or not, and when they frustrate due process they appoint sole administrators or caretaker committees. They hide under the State-Local Government Joint Account and the associated committees to steal money meant for local councils. They get away with blue murder because nobody challenges them.
To put the matter in perspective, the Federal Government in 2019 introduced Executive Order 10 to correct the wrong being committed by the State Governors. It also introduced through the Nigeria Financial Investigation Unit (NFIU) a set of guidelines to ensure that state Governors would no longer withdraw monies meant for local council operations from the Joint Account (Section 162 (). Daylight robbery of local council resources is one of the reasons the local level of government is virtually dead. The big obstacle against the attempt by the Federal Government to enforce the fiscal autonomy of the local councils was again, the law. This is relatable to the minority judgment by Justice Uwani Abba-Aji who maintained that the EO 10 was in order "because of the hanky-panky and subterfuge played by state Governors against the independence and financial autonomy of state judiciary... This is not unconstitutional." There has been a tendency to play down this minority view.
Buhari couldn't care less about the infidel Mubarak Bala. Atheist aren't a major voting block either so he has no political value. You lawyers should use your time wisely fighting your way up to the Supreme Court. That's your only hope of getting a fair shake.
By now Mubarak Bala, who was arrested on April 28, 2020 after a complaint that a Facebook post he made was “provocative and annoying to the Muslims”, has spent over 520 days imprisoned in the Northern Nigerian State of Kano. He remains in prison despite that fact that he has not been arraigned before a court. And despite the fact that a Nigerian court ordered his immediate release last December.
In an effort to end this grave violation of Mubarak’s fundamental rights, four Nigerian Human Rights Lawyers have penned an appeal to President Buhari to intervene. We urge President Buhari, to note this appalling breach of Human Rights that is happening right now in the country he heads, and to take decisive action to restore Mubarak Bala’s Constitutional rights.
Here is the letter sent to President Buhari today:
AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT BUHARI REGARDING THE CONTINUING ILLEGAL INCARCERATION OF MUBARAK BALA
September 23, 2021
Mr President,
We are four Nigerian human rights lawyers, and we write to you, the President of Nigeria, as the person who is entrusted above all others to uphold the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to protect the human rights of its citizens and safeguard the good reputation of our nation.
We beseech you to consider the case of Mubarak Bala.
ARREST
Following a complaint about a post he made on social media, Mr Bala was arrested at his home in Kaduna on April 28, 2020 and taken the following day to Kano where he was detained by police.
NO ACCESS TO LAWYERS
Mr Bala was held incommunicado and denied access to his lawyers. This is contrary to §36 (6)(c) of the Constitution which gives detainees the right to be represented by a lawyer of their choice.
After many unsuccessful attempts to gain access to their client, on June 17, 2020, Mr Bala’s lawyers applied to a magistrate for an order to be permitted to see their client. A Court Order was granted and served on the Kano Commissioner of Police on July 16, 2020. This Court Order was disregarded.
Since then, Mr Bala’s lawyers have been granted only one meeting with their client in late 2020, more than seven months after his arrest. This was unacceptably late, and it was insufficient to deal with the complex issues of this case and to safeguard Mr Bala’s wellbeing. We are aware that Mr Bala requires regular medication for hypertension, but he has been denied access to a doctor since April 2020 and has received no medication for his ongoing condition.
FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS
On May 8, 2020, Mr Bala’s lawyers filed a petition at the Federal High Court in Abuja to enforce his fundamental rights. In accordance with the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules 2009 such petitions must be given the highest priority and should be heard within 7 days (Order IV Rule 1). The Preamble to the Rules (3)(g) is unambiguous, “Human rights suits shall be given priority in deserving cases. Where there is any question as to the liberty of the applicant or any person, the case shall be treated as an emergency.”
Yet a series of delays (mainly caused by Kano State lawyers not attending court hearings and absent judges) resulted in the case was not being heard until October 19, 2020, 164 days after the Fundamental Rights Enforcement notice was filed. That it took so long for an emergency case to be heard in Nigeria is appalling.
The judgment was delivered on December 21, 2020. The court found that Mr Bala was being detained in gross violation of his fundamental rights. The court ordered the respondents to issue an apology, to pay compensation and to release Mr Bala immediately. Mr Bala was not released.
Mr Bala’s lawyers filed a second emergency Fundamental Right Enforcement petition on January 28, 2021. A hearing was scheduled for March 1, 2021 but was adjourned to April 25, 2021 and then was adjourned again. Currently no date is scheduled for this emergency case to be heard.
FAILURE TO BE CHARGED
Mr Bala was not charged with any offence until June 2021, (14 months after he was arrested) and he is yet to be arraigned. This is in gross violation of the Constitution, which requires citizens to be charged and brought before a court within 7 days, or to be released (§35 (4)).
CONCLUSION
Mr President, in what way has the Nigerian state safeguarded Mr Bala’s fundamental rights? It has not. It has violated them systematically and repeatedly. Sir, please help right this wrong that has occurred on your watch.
Mr Bala has now been deprived of his liberty for more than 520 days but has yet to be found guilty of any crime. Indeed, the case against him has yet to be heard in court. Kano State has amply demonstrated its inability to treat Mr Bala fairly and legally. This case has been widely reported in Nigerian and world news, and many foreign governments have expressed their concern. For these reasons, and because of the deep violations of fundamental rights involved, we believe you can, and should, intervene.
This case began under the jurisdiction of Kano State but the Federal Government was joined in the matter as far back as May 19, 2020, when the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) was cited as a respondent in Mr Bala’s first Fundamental Rights Enforcement petition.
You could end this tragedy by instructing the AGF to transfer Mr Bala to a prison in Abuja and to ensure that he has full access to his lawyers, to his family who reside in Abuja and to medical treatment. Furthermore, you can instruct the AGF to treat Mr Bala’s second Fundamental Rights Enforcement case as the emergency it is.
Let the courts decide if Mr Bala has committed any crime but, in the meantime, restore to him the rights the Constitution guarantees him. That is all we ask.
Sincerely,
Mr. Kola Alapinni Mr. AA Muhammad Mr. Ebuka Ikeorah Mr. Rouf Gazali HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYERS
Bala was imprisoned without any charges for almost two years. Several international organizations who have been keeping a close look on Bala's whereabouts and well-being have reported multiple violations against his human rights, including the court's denial to give Bala a fair trial.
The religious zealots in Kano finally figured out what to charged with after a year of illegally detaining him. Blasphemy laws are unconstitutional by their very nature. Hopefully this case makes its way to the Supreme Court so this issue finally gets resolved once and for all. I respect Balas resolve so far.
On August 3, the High Court of Kano State in Nigeria formally charged Mubarak Bala, an atheist and president of the Humanist Association of Nigeria, for causing a public disturbance. The High Court's charges, which come as a highly delayed action, revolves around Bala's Facebook posts which spanned over 2020. The public disturbance charges fall under Kano State Penal Code's sections 114 and 210.
On April 28, 2020, Bala was arrested in his home in northern Nigeria. Bala, an ex-Muslim, knew too well that his childhood community would not take the series of Facebook posts he made lightly. Bala's wife, Amina Ahmed, believed that even if her husband's social media attacks target both Christians and Muslims, the latter would be more inclined to take action. "They don't care. They can just kill you and nothing happens," she warned her husband.
As the president of the Humanist Association of Nigeria, Bala was intent to use his public social media account to express his sentiments against religion. On April 25, 2020, Bala declared on Facebook that the Prophet Muhammad is a terrorist. He was arrested three days later and was not seen again by his family.
Bala was imprisoned without any charges for almost two years. Several international organizations who have been keeping a close look on Bala's whereabouts and well-being have reported multiple violations against his human rights, including the court's denial to give Bala a fair trial. There were also constant attempts to derail his legal team's effort to have him released on bail. For five months, he was not given access to his lawyer.
Nigeria's penal code is heavily reliant on Sharia law. As of 1960, Nigeria is one of the few nations outside, excluding Muslim Asian nations and outside the Arabian peninsula, to use Islamic laws in substantive and procedural criminal litigations. Even after adopting a new hybrid constitution, states in Nigeria, including Kano, still maintain a Sharia court as part of their "religion and customary laws," according to a 2019 report from the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). The USCIRF also tags Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern in their 2020 and 2021 report.
International Atheist and Humanist organizations are adding pressure to Nigeria to address this case against Bala. Roy Speckhardt, the director of the American Humanist Association, declares that they are joining the unified "call for the transfer of Bala to neutral territory and demand that he is given the fair trial he is entitled to. Bala shouldn't be unduly punished for the peaceful exercise of his rights to freedom of religion."
After a year in detention, Bala has not been brought before a court and his lawyers have not been informed of any charges against him.
Bala is being illegally detained not because he has done wrong but because those in power do not like his opinions.
Bala did nothing wrong even his accusers can't even charge him with a crime. The religious zealots are tyrannical madmen with no respect for the laws of the land.
Nigeria is truly fortunate to have a Federal Constitution that guarantees fundamental human rights. It also has Fundamental Rights Enforcement Rules designed to ensure “enhanced access to justice for all classes of litigants, especially the poor, the illiterate, the uninformed, the vulnerable, the incarcerated, and the unrepresented.” Everyone from the man-in-the-street, the police, politicians, lawyers, the courts up to the President have a solemn duty to ensure the rights of every citizen are protected and to act expeditiously whenever a citizen’s rights are denied.
But, in Nigeria, what you see is not what you get. Mubarak Bala, the President of the Humanist Association of Nigeria, was arrested on April 28, 2020 for making a Facebook post that was critical of Prophet Muhammed. You might think Bala is entitled to his opinion of the Prophet of Islam and you might think the Constitution guarantees his right to express his opinion. But everyone is entitled to their opinion, so when lawyer SS Umar complained that Bala’s post was racist (which could infringe the Cyber Crimes Act) and that it might incite public disturbances (which could infringe sections 210 & 114 of the Penal Code), the police have a duty to investigate the complaint. Following the investigation, the police could press charges if they felt there was a case to be answered, or release the suspect. If charged, a court would decide if the suspect is guilty and what punishment should be imposed.
After a year in detention, Bala has not been brought before a court and his lawyers have not been informed of any charges against him.
The Constitution requires the police to charge a suspect within 24 hours (48 hours in certain circumstances). If this is not done, the police are obliged to release the suspect, with or without, bail. So, 24 hours after Bala was arrested, he was being detained illegally. But there was much more. For more than six months Bala was held incommunicado. He was not permitted to see his family or his lawyers. Indeed, for six months his family did not even know if he was alive or dead. The right to legal representation of choice is another Constitutional right he was denied.
On May 8, 2020 Bala’s lawyers filed a petition at the Abuja High Court, complaining that he had been denied a string of fundamental rights. The fundamental rights enforcement rules required such cases to be heard within 7 days. Because of prevarication and intentional delays, Bala’s case was not heard until October 19 and a decision was not given until December 10—seven months after the petition was filed. The court ordered the Federal and Kano authorities to free Bala “immediately and unconditionally”.
Today, one year after Bala was arrested and more than four months after the order to release him, he remains incarcerated.
With the current administration in Nigeria, the obligation to protect rights is blatantly ignored. What we get is the abuse of due process and denial of fundamental rights in favor of protecting religious beliefs. Bala is being illegally detained not because he has done wrong but because those in power do not like his opinions.
Many players; police, politicians and courts have conspired, or been bullied, into denying Bala’s rights but two men have the power to put things right. The Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari and the Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, allowed this travesty of justice to occur under their watch. These men both swore to God to uphold the Constitution and both have broken their solemn promises.
Let these men stop this disgrace that is embarrassing Nigeria worldwide. Put it right, release Mubarak Bala now.
You can make your voice heard. Please tweet these men and tell them what you think. Buhari is@MBuhari; Ganduje is @GovUmarGanduje.
Maiduguri — Justice Aisha Ndume has revealed that rape cases constitute 90 percent of criminal cases handled by various courts in Borno state in the last two years.
Justice Ndume made the revelation at on Tuesday at a 2-day training workshop for legal actors on strengthening Women's Access To Justice with the theme: Making Rights A Reality For Conflict Affected Women In Borno and Yobe states, organised by Women Advocates Research And Documentation Centre ( WARDC ) , in conjunction with Government of Netherlands and UN Women in Maiduguri.
In her remarks, the Executive Secretary WARDC , Dr Abiola Akiyode - Afolabi , disclosed that statistics from the International Federation of Women Lawyers ( FIDA ) , showed that over 39 rape cases were recorded in Borno state within two months of the COVID-19 lockdown.
She said the WARDC project is engaging the parliament and state governments on the need to have the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law, noting that as it is today, the law has gotten to second reading and that WARDC will work to ensure that the law is passed because of its benefits to the society.
She said:" Most of the cases of sexual and gender based violence go unreported in places like Borno and Yobe states because the culture of reporting is not integrated yet to the communities. So the project is to ensure more reporting of SBGV.
Nyesom Wike, the governor of Rivers State, says Federal Government, FG, was never willing to executive the Bonny Deep Sea Port it conceived for Rivers state and was only deceiving the people from the outset.
Wike expressed the feeling on Monday, March 8, 2021, at the inauguration of Rumuji -Ibaa-Obelle-Isiopko Road in Rivers state performed by former Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido who also bashed the All Progressives Congress, APC, as ruling without vision and feeling for the people.
Wike declared, “Let them (FG) tell us what they had done for Rivers state. I hear they want to flag off railways narrow gauge from here (Rivers) to Maiduguri. Is that what we need?
“They want to do Bonny Deep Sea Port, for how many years now? Before the drawings will come out, has the government not gone? In their hearts, they know they’ll not do it.
They only have this year, next year is a political year. “We cannot be deceived any longer. PDP is a party that Nigerians and Rivers people have seen that have the zeal, and commitment to save Nigerians.”
On the newly commissioned project, he told benefiting communities, “Those from Isiopko, Obele, Ibaa, and Rumuji, will look back and reflect on how this road was. Do not forget it easily.
“Today, all of us can come back home. All of us can go to the market. We can all drive freely; those from Isiopko can pass through and go to Emohua. Those from Rumuji and all of you can pass through and go to the airport.
“This is what development is all about. Development is not about giving you money. It is all about making the environment conducive for economic activities to thrive.
“There is no way the government can share money with everybody. But it has a duty to make the environment conducive for you to work and find food to eat.”
Lamido, shortly before inaugurating the project, said, “When APC came on board, they had no programme, no plan.
The only thing they had was to flush out PDP from the government because we were performing, we were organised, because we were committed, compassionate, and very humane”.
He explained that remodelling of the nation’s airports, rehabilitation of railway, and reform in the power sector are all PDP initiatives and not that of the APC.
“They (APC) can’t think. They have no vision, they have no feeling, no compassion. They are there for the power and the power is there tormenting them because the power was abused”, he stated.
War is profitable if you know how to play it. If the separatist win great a new buffer zone between Cameroon and Nigeria. Nigeria can potentially get bakkasi peninsula in exchange for covert assistance. They can join ECOWAS If they lose refugees pile up in Nigeria.
The English speaking part of Cameroon has been treated worst than any ethnic group in Nigeria. The Cameroonian government has consistently frustrated these people that they are ready to form a republic and start a big time insurgency against their federal government. If you think Buhari is ineffective, you should get to know about Paul Biya who is very useless.
All this nonsense because Biya refuses to compromise. The government could have decentralized power by way of federalism. That would've diminished alot of the separatist fever. The original protest demands weren't radical.
Hmm I wonder if the separatist would create sn alliance with them. Boko Haram has alot of useful tactics they could learn. It would help bleed the nation faster if they have to deal with multiple insurgencies. Other than that blow up oil pipelines like ND militants do.
YAOUNDE, CAMEROON - Cameroon said Saturday that at least 22 people, including four soldiers, were killed in two Friday morning attacks – one by Boko Haram fighters on its northern border with Nigeria and the other by separatists fighting to create an independent English-speaking state in the country’s western regions. Officials warn of a new wave of violence and killing they say is being prepared by the separatists and Boko Haram terrorists.
Midjiyawa Bakari, governor of Cameroon’s Far North region, says there was general confusion in the town of Mozogo when militiamen warned civilians about Boko Haram suicide bombers from neighboring Nigeria in their midst.
He said some scared people fled into the bush, where they always go for safety, but many Nigerian suicide bombers were already hiding there. He said 11 civilians were killed on the spot when bombers detonated explosives. He said three were shot by the terrorist group in Mozogo, a town in Cameroon’s Mayo Sava administrative unit.
"Yesterday (Friday) we got an attack of Boko Haram in Mayo Tsanaga Division. Fourteen people died," said Bakari. "We have been instructed by the hierarchy to extend a message of condolence and we condemn this act of Boko Haram and all measures will be taken with our vigilant committees [militias], who are working day and night alongside our forces to secure our populations."
Cameroon Says Explosives Planted by Separatists Killed 5, Including Female Journalist
No one has yet claimed responsibility for attack in secessionist English-speaking North West region
Bakari said the wounded were rushed to hospitals in Mozogo and the neighboring town of Mokolo. He said the military had been deployed in Mozogo to secure Cameroon’s northern border with Nigeria’s Borno state, an epicenter of Boko Haram activity.
Cameroon government spokesperson Rene Emmanuel Sadi in a release said heavily armed Boko Haram fighters have infiltrated villages around Mozogo and called for vigilance.
The release also says separatist fighters attacked a military post at Matazen at the western entrance to the English-speaking North-West, region killing four soldiers and two civilians. Two civilians died while being rushed to hospitals.
Among the survivors of the attack is 43-year-old trader Clarence Tatah, who was driving from the English-speaking northwestern town of Bamenda to the coastal city of Douala. He says God saved his life from more than half an hour of crossfire.
"I opened that door behind there and jumped out of the car," said Tatah. "Then I rolled and came under the car. After the shooting lasted for about 30 to 40 minutes, I discovered that a bullet went through my chair [seat] and came out behind. God protected me. The Lord preserved me."
General Valere Nka, commander of the Cameroon military forces fighting the separatists, says his troops transported several wounded people to hospitals. He says physical damage was enormous. Nka says civilians should help the military find the fighters by reporting suspects in their communities.
He says the task ahead is still enormous because there are many rebel camps his troops must destroy. He says it is imperative for everyone to know that the military is there primarily to protect civilians. He says he is urging the population to collaborate with the military, which is doing everything possible to protect civilians and their goods and restore peace.
Cameroon has been fighting to secure its northern border with Nigeria from Boko Haram incursions and combating separatist fighters in its English-peaking western regions.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks in the northern town of Mozogo and the western locality of Matazen.
The government, however, blames Boko Haram and separatist fighters for the separate attacks.
The separatist crisis that is in its fourth year has killed over 3,000 people and displaced more than 500,000 others according to the United Nations.
Boko Haram terrorists have been fighting for 11 years to create an Islamic caliphate in northeast Nigeria. The fighting has spread to Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Benin.
The United Nations says Boko Haram violence has cost the lives of 30,000 people and displaced about 2 million in Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger and Chad.
What if someone was trying to set up the hotel owner? Why not do proper enquiry?
Lol these idiots have opened the door for everyone to chaos. Anyone with a grudge can post flyers and random number and the state will swing into action. This why people should just do the same to the police and politicians then watch the get common sense.
They destroyed her property for a reason only known to them. They arrested anyone who they could with nobody knowing or seeing the imaginary orgy. The story just doesn't make sense.
"I watched them pull down the building without allowing me remove any item before the demolition. As a result of the trauma, I lost my one month old pregnancy.
7. Cash, et al worth over #32 million, as the place was abruptly vandalised after the demolition.
The whole situation is pathetic and absurd. Its really hard to imagine anyone in power can be this stupid. Honestly the best manner of protest would be finding out where these police officers and politicians live and posting the same sort of flyers everywhere. Lets see if the government is ready to destroy everyone property of baseless allegations. I say start with El rufis private residence.
1. Is immorality an offence? 2. If the answer to question 1 above is yes, cite the law. 3. Can demolition of the property legally occur without a court order? 4. What's the legal punishment for breaching covid-19 guidelines? 5. Can demolition of the property legally occur without a court order for said breach of covid-19 guidelines?
I hope she sues the tyrannical moralist government. The constitution gives everyone a right to a trial. The government should compensate for the building, loss of business along with pain and suffering. They slandered this business owner because they're idiots who believe whatever a random flyer says.
Its mindblowing they would decide to destroy a perfectly good building instead of seizing the asset and reselling it. Are there no moral people to resell it to. Does the state destroy every item used in criminal activity? It seems they always find a way to compound evil with foolishness.
However, Aisha Yakubu, the owner of Asher, debunked the government's claim and said there was no plan to use her property for the said sex party.
"I denied knowledge of that event as there was nothing of that sort taking place at the restaurant and I wouldn't stoop so low to entertain such illicit activity at my place," she said in her statement, disclosing what she had told the police before the demolition.
"But the Police refused to believe me and had my friend and two of my staff detained for one night, one day, until the customer that had earlier hired the place for usage on that fateful day was also arrested the next day. They were released after paying a "bail fee" of #100,000 to Inspector Felix and one other lady Officer, fair in complexion."
The customer, she said, had on December 27, 2020, "hired the VIP Lounge for a 15-man reunion/Clothing line promo, to appreciate his customers for their good patronage of his brands."
She identified the customer as Mr Chimezie.
She said the police team had arrived before the commencement of the reunion party and taken him and others away.
"When we arrived the Police station, my customer, who accompanied me to the station, enquired what the matter was and the Police showed us a poster on a GSM phone belonging to one of the officers by name Inspector Felix. It was a poster of an event titled; KADUNA SEX PARTY, which the Police claimed the venue for the supposed "sex party" was scheduled to hold at my restaurant, even though with no address of where it will take place on the poster."
She further said, "I noticed how incompetent the NPF were, I suggested to them to call the number on the supppsed "Kaduna Sex Party" poster, which they immediately put a call through and a name came out using the True Caller App as MARVELLOUS AKPAN. The Police asked me to pay a fee of #20,000 for them to do their job of tracking the user of the phone number, which I immediately paid them so that they would swing into action."
The police spokesperson for Kaduna State, Jalige Mohammed, told PREMIUM TIMES he had just seen the allegation that police were paid to release a detainee and collected money to track a number.
He said the police would investigate "and get back."
Ms Yakubu continued, "Marvellous Akpan was arrested the next. He was interrogated and he obliged to owning the phone number on the poster address. Mr Chimeze, who had hired the place, was released, summarily, after the successful arrest of Mr Akpan.
"The next day, 31st December, while at the other Branch of my restaurant, at Court Road,Sabon Tasha, Kaduna, a friend of mine called me asked me to go to the main Restaurant and see what was going on. I immediately went and saw a combined team of Police men, Soldiers, KASTLEA and Vigilante groups guarded a pay loader to demolish my restaurant. No prior notice was served to me before the demolition, there was no any form of communication between I and the Kaduna State Property Development Agency (KASUPDA) who came to demolished the building structure.
"Even when they arrived the location, the main entrance to the main Restaurant and the restaurant was under lock and key. There was no any form of communication to me!
"I watched them pull down the building without allowing me remove any item before the demolition. As a result of the trauma, I lost my one month old pregnancy.
7. Cash, et al worth over #32 million, as the place was abruptly vandalised after the demolition.
"I plan to seek legal redress for defamation of my character and the loss of my properties in the building."
PREMIUM TIMES shared Ms Yakubu's statement with a spokesperson to Mr El-Rufai, Muyiwa Adekeye, requesting a reaction. There was no response as of the time this report was published.
It is the first time in Niger’s history that an elected president will succeed another elected president. Bazoum is a former foreign affairs and interior minister, while Ousmane is another former president.
Wow a run off election on their first go. Nigeria is yet to have on after 20 years at any level. I believe Bazoum is going to win. Im interested in his foreign police regarding Nigeria and Benin regarding rail connections and his economic agenda. Niger has alot issues to cotend with.
In Niger, Mohammed Bazoum and Mahamane Ousmane have made it through to the second round of the country’s presidential elections, with neither candidate garnering enough ballots to win outright in the 27 December vote.
Provisional results gave Bazoum, candidate for the Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism (PNDS), over 39 percent of the first round ballot (around 1.88 million votes) versus 17 percent for Ousmane, according to an announcement by the electoral commission on Saturday morning.
The electoral commission, originally due to declare provisional results on Friday, explained that the large field of candidates in this year’s race, led to additional time for vote counting and more rigorous controls.
A second round is expected on 20 February.
Former Prime Minister Seini Oumarou came in third, taking nearly 9 percent of votes, with another former prime minister, Albadé Abouba, placing fourth on 7 percent. Former foreign affairs minister Ibrahim Yacouba secured 5.38 percent and former President Salou Djibo took less than 3 percent of the vote.
It is the first time in Niger’s history that an elected president will succeed another elected president. Bazoum is a former foreign affairs and interior minister, while Ousmane is another former president.
Election turnout was almost 70 percent with 5.2 million voters heading to the polls, according to the electoral commission’s results, which still must be validated by the country’s constitutional court.
Ibom air vs Cally Air who do you guys think will come out on top? Ibom Air seems like the better bet. Akwa Ibom has more money to burn. I dont think ibom air is posting it's financials yet so who knows what revenue it's generating.
Kalapizim: With 737s ? they should have learnt from ibom air and gone for regional jets like the CRJ and ERJ 145
Challenges facing the aviation sector notwithstanding, the Cross River State Government, is set to sky rock its state-own airline.
Governor Ayade, will be floating an airline, “Cally Air’’ in a jiffy, the state government has completed plans to pilots its own airline adding an airlifts line, as part of its tourism investment drive, efforts to increase revenue and lower dependence on the federal allocation.
Cally Air will brace up the idea behind the tourists’ Programme (Calabar Carnival), South South and South East Pilgrims. The airlifts will intensely market the state as the ideal destination for all tourism, social and corporate events, while also offering superior leisure activities.
The airline desires to provide the much needed capacity, as well as ease of access to facilitate both the visitors and industrialisation programmes of the state.
With the airline now to be in place, the airport becomes hugely more viable, the MRO facility gets activated and Cross River State is well positioned to become the “centre of excellence” in the air transport industry in Nigeria.”
Justifying Ayade’s decision to venture on Bakassi Deep seaport- Maritime and Cally Airline, the Governor reasoned that, with the seaport trade and connectivity along the region, his administration is confident that the return on the investment would definitely be huge and contribute immensely to the budget of Bliss and Blush.
Under the industrial led administration of the workaholic Senator Ayade, Cross River is creating a new platforms, new business opportunities that will open a fresh horizon for young people to explore.
More so, It will increase the state IGR and also generate employment opportunities for teaming unemployed youths across the state.
Politics / Re: Ogoni Clean-up: NASS Fumes As Environment Minister, Abdullahi Snubs Invitation by Neonspook: 7:38am On Jul 17, 2022 
). Daylight robbery of local council resources is one of the reasons the local level of government is virtually dead. The big obstacle against the attempt by the Federal Government to enforce the fiscal autonomy of the local councils was again, the law. This is relatable to the minority judgment by Justice Uwani Abba-Aji who maintained that the EO 10 was in order "because of the hanky-panky and subterfuge played by state Governors against the independence and financial autonomy of state judiciary... This is not unconstitutional." There has been a tendency to play down this minority view.