Category: News

Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State and his challenger in the March 18, 2022 governorship election in the state, Chijioke Edeoga of the Labour Party will have to wait before knowing their fates, as the state’s Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, on Wednesday, reserved its judgment.

The tribunal, led by Justice Akano, reserved judgment after the parties to the petition adopted their final written addresses, adding that the date of the judgment will be communicated to the parties.

The candidate of the Labour Party, Edeoga, approached the tribunal to challenge the declaration of Peter Mbah of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as the validly elected governor of Enugu State by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

INEC is the first respondent in the petition, and Dr Mbah and PDP are listed as the second and third respondents respectively.

Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, the lead counsel to Labour Party and Edeoga, however asked the tribunal to uphold the position of his clients and grant the reliefs sought by his client.

According to him, it has been established beyond any reasonable doubt that Mr Peter Mbah was at the time of the election not constitutionally qualified to contest for the election having presented a forged certificate of national service to INEC.

Awomolo also highlighted the issues of over-voting, non-use of BVAS, and alleged forgery of NYSC certificate, among others brought by the petitioner as reasons why the matter should be decided in favour of his client (Edeoga).

Meanwhile, Edeoga’s counsel had earlier prayed the tribunal to allow him amend a section of his address where he asked the court to declare him Governor of Rivers state in the place of Enugu state.

However, adopting his address, counsel to INEC, Mr Abdul Mohammed, urged the tribunal to dismiss Edeoga’s petition with substantial cost.

Mohammed argued that the so-called letter written by the NYSC disclaiming Mbah’s NYSC certificate should not be regarded.

While adopting his address, Peter Mbah’s counsel, Chief Wole Olanipekun, (SAN), prayed the tribunal to dismiss the Petitions of the Labour Party for lacking in merit and a mere academic exercise.

“They have not presented any proof. The petitioner’s witnesses, who came to testify in court were agents without identities, PW 6,7,9,10,11,12,13,22 and 28 admitted that there was no over voting,” he said.

In his own submission, the counsel to the Peoples Democratic Party, Anthony Ani (SAN), contended that the argument of the petitioners is vague and lacking in evidence.

The counsel to the third respondent, Mr Alex Izinyon told the court to dismiss the petition in its entirety as it was a shadow chasing.

Izinyon said that the evidence required in the polling units was not agents’ evidence, adding that they derailed from their pleading as there was no evidence of forgery in the certificate before the court.

Earlier, the three respondents opposed the application for correction of the petitioners’ written final address, saying that they had already adopted their own final addresses.

Mohammed opposed the application vehemently, saying that the correction was an amendment to add a further address.

Justice Akano said that the ruling on the application for the correction of the petitioner’s final written address would come alongside the judgement.

Ripples/Daily Post/Pacesetter

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, says lawmakers will ensure that Nigerians get a survival wage that can take them home in the ongoing minimum wage review.

Mr Abbas, who was represented by Oluwole-Oke, representing Obokun/Oriade Federal Constituency of Osun State, made the pledge on Tuesday in Abuja at the National Policy Dialogue on Corruption, Social Norms and Behaviour Change in Nigeria.

The event was organised by the Independent Corrupt Practice and Other related Offences Commission (ICPC) in collaboration with Anti- Corruption Academy of Nigeria, supported by MacArthur Foundation.

The speaker, who pledged legislators’ support to the ICPC in its fight against corruption, however, said that factors that encouraged or promoted the menace must be dealt with.

“We must acknowledge that there are different factors that influence the attitude or action of citizens to indulge in corruption.

“For instance, the question around a survival wage system is a big factor.

“A situation where the take home pay of a large segment of the population is unable to take them home is a recipe for all manner of corruption.

“This is why the House of Representatives is particularly interested in the ongoing review of minimum wage in the country. The House this time around will ensure that Nigerians get a survival wage that could take them home,” he said.

He said that in many societies, where corruption is on a low scale, there are social safety nets that guarantee protection for the people and Nigeria had the capacity to do the same.

“As lawmakers, there is often a significant societal pressure and expectation placed upon us to provide various services, assistance, and functions that may fall outside the scope of legislative responsibilities.

“I am sure we are familiar with the level of pressure legislators undergo owing to a deluge of requests for financial and corollary assistance from our constituents.

“Make no mistakes about it, this pressure is a fallout from the prevailing poverty rate, precipitated by the factors mentioned above,” he said.

According to him, while changing social norms is essential for combating corruption effectively, we must equally address those circumstances that inform those behaviours.

“Behaviour change interventions aim to challenge existing norms and promote ethical behaviour.

“These interventions can take various forms, including awareness campaigns, education programmes, value reorientation, community engagement initiatives, and legal reforms.

“By targeting social norms and promoting ethical behaviour, it is possible to create an environment where corruption is less tolerated and more strongly condemned,” he said.

The speaker said that it was not enough to advocate change of attitude or behaviour, there must be deliberate policy of government in this regard.

Mr Abbas said that the policy had to address a living wage for citizens and close the gap created by governance failure.

“Let me state that curbing corruption in Nigeria through social norms and behavior change requires a comprehensive and multi-faceted approach.

“By targeting social norms, raising awareness, strengthening institutions, promoting ethical leadership, and implementing effective legal measures, social security policy, it is possible to create a society where corruption is less tolerated and more actively combated,” he said.

In the same vein, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, represented by his Deputy Chief of Staff, Saviour Enyiekere, said fighting corruption was a complex and multifaceted challenge.

“However, we must keep harping on the need to fight corruption and also, point out strategies that will help out country to give the fight all the push that it deserves.

“For me, tackling corruption involves transparency and accountability; it is also about strengthening the legal frameworks.

“Nigeria is not lacking in such legal frameworks and the 10th Senate under my leadership is positioned to bridge any existing legislative gaps in the fight against corruption.

“However, institutions like the ICPC must enforce comprehensive anti-corruption laws that criminalise corrupt activities, establish clear guidelines for ethical behaviours,” he said.

According to him, the extant laws of Nigeria have provided for the independence of the judiciary and effective law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute corruption cases.

He also stressed the need to develop the courage to promote a culture of ethics and integrity in our schools.

“This is because fostering a culture of ethics and integrity in the society through education and awareness campaigns will help to promote such values as honesty and transparency and accountability from an early age.

“We must make deliberate efforts to encourage civil society organisations, the media, and educational institutions to play active roles in promoting ethical behaviours as well.

“We must also seek new ways of fostering active and engaged civil society that can hold governments at all levels accountable,” he said.

He said that “if we must win the war on corruption, we must also improve on our financial transparency rating by promoting responsible business practices, and strict enforcement of anti-corruption procedures in both public and private sectors.”

NAN

Addressing the fuel supply and demand situation in Nigeria, Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu is assuring citizens that there would be no increase in the pump price of petrol, highlighting his commitment to maintaining competitiveness in the petroleum industry.

In a briefing with State House correspondents on Monday, presidential spokesman,Ajuri Ngelale said the President is urging all stakeholders to remain calm and avoid premature conclusions following recent threats from the organized labor movement.

Acknowledging shortcomings within the midstream and downstream sectors, President Tinubu affirmed the continuation of the deregulation policy, asserting Nigeria’s pump prices as the most cost-effective among its West African neighbours.

The President called for patience as the nation navigates challenges and vowed to remain transparent about the issues, including foreign exchange illiquidity due to past mismanagement of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Arise News

The Federal Government has applied to withdraw the “illegal possession of firearms” case it filed against the suspended Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, at the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos.

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) at the Federal Ministry of Justice, Mohammed Abubakar, in an oral application, told Justice Nicholas Oweibo that the application followed the result of further investigations.

However, counsel for Emefiele, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Joseph Daudu, opposed the application insisting that that the government must first purge itself of the disobedience of the court’s order granting Emefiele bail, before its application could be taken.

Justice Oweibo has adjourned till Thursday, August 17, 2023 to rule on the application.

In an interview with journalists after the day’s proceedings, the DPP said a fresh 20 counts has been filed at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court against the suspended CBN governor.

One of the counts, he said, accused Emefiele of “conferring unlawful advantages”.

More details later…

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…relief materials will be equitably distributed to victims – ALGON Chairman

The Government of Enugu State has donated relief materials worth over ₦80 million to victims of flood and other disasters in the state stressing that the relief materials would not only serve as succour but would also help the affected persons to settle down by reactivating their means of livelihoods.

This was even as the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) also partnered with the Enugu State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) for more relief items for persons and communities affected by the 2022 flood disaster across the local government areas in the state.

Presenting the items to the State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, at Government House, Enugu, Monday, the Zonal Coordinator of NEMA, Ngozi Echeazu, who represented the NEMA Director-General, Mustapha Ahmed Habib, stated that, “the relief intervention by the Federal Government through NEMA is not a compensation, but rather a fulfilment of the Federal Government’s responsibility to support the welfare and wellbeing of Nigerian citizens wherever they live especially when the capacity of their state and local government authorities are exceeded .”

Echeazu who was represented by a management staff of the agency, Amaka Chidi-Aroh, further noted that, “Upon the escalation of the 2022 flood disaster, the NEMA South East Zonal Office carried out damage/need assessment in 6 major selected Local Government Areas namely: Enugu South, Enugu East, Nkanu East, Awgu, Udenu and Uzo Uwani to determine the level of the flood disaster, damage caused, needs of the affected communities and appropriate recommendations were made in line with the agency’s mandate to ensure that all affected communities were provided with necessary short, medium and long term support to enable them recover from the disaster”.

According to her, the relief materials which included livelihood items were expected to help the affected persons stand on their feet and return to normal life.

The Zonal Coordinator reminded members of the public of the recent unpredictable weather conditions, saying, “let me use today’s occasion to remind us that recent unpredictable weather conditions associated with climatic variability in Nigeria have aggravated the occurrence of disasters.

“We must therefore constantly evacuate solid wastes that clog drainage systems in our cities and townships, avoid building on flood plains and move to higher grounds whenever there is an early warning on looming flood disaster.”

Echeazu added that, “disaster management requires a collective effort, hence the calls for concerted endeavours on Disaster Risk Management and enhance collaboration between emergency response providers at community, local, state and federal levels.”

She commended Enugu State Government for it’s uncommon partnership with the Agency and for setting up a Technical Committee on major hazards (erosion and windstorm) in the state for the purpose of ensuring effective disaster management.

The Zonal Coordinator also appreciated the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Local Government Chairmen, the Ag. Executive Secretary, Enugu SEMA, Mrs Chinasa Mbah, her staff, all NEMA line ministries/stakeholders including security agencies and voluntary organizations for their active collaboration with NEMA.

Speaking shortly after receiving the items, the State Governor, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Chidiebere Onyia, commended NEMA for its patnership with Enugu state government.

He said that the state government’s patnership with NEMA had always yielded posetive results and will be a continuous collaboration.

Governor Mbah disclosed that the data from NEMA had also assisted the state government in its planning. He added that the support will help in rebuilding the victim’s economic base.

The Governor expressed confidence in the credibility of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) Enugu State, led by the Nkanu East local government chairman, Hon. Okechukwu Sydney Edeh, assuring that the items would be properly distributed to the affected persons.

Earlier, the Head, Welfare, Enugu state Emergency Management Agency, Chinaza Mbah, said that the items presented were for the 2022 flood victims. She disclosed that a lot of communities were affected, houses and farmlands destroyed and some lost their lives in the 2022 flood disaster.

Chinasa assured that the items would complement the ones already provided by the state government and would be properly distributed to make sure they get to the affected victims. “SEMA will monitor the distribution”, she said.

Receiving the items from SEMA, the chairman of ALGON, Hon. Edeh, said that they will go to the Local Government Areas, and set up a committee for the distribution of the materials to the affected persons.

The committee, according to him, would be made up of stakeholders and priests who would go to the different communities and reach out to the affected persons.

Edeh further assured that there will be accountability and transparency in the distribution of the items to the victims.

Materials presented which were food and non-food items, included bags of rice (10kg), bags of beans (10kg) bags of garri (10kg), kegs of vegetable oil (20 litres), cartons of seasoning cubes, cartons of spaghetti, cartons of tomato paste, bags of iodized salt, while none food items included, pieces of mosquito nets (treated), pieces of blankets, nylon mats, guinea brocades , children’s wear (new), packs of diapers, packets of sanitary pad, cartons of toilet soap, cartons of disinfectant, cartons of omo detergent.

Others were non-food items, which included cooking pots, cooking stove (standard), building materials, bags of cement, planks, 400 bundles of roofing sheets , nail, zinc nails, ceiling board, livelihood Items, grinding machines, pieces of water pumping machine and sewing machines (butterfly or equivalent).

A Nigerian Air Force MI-171 Helicopter on a casualty evacuation mission crashed on Monday near Chukuba Village in Niger State.

The Defence Headquarters today vehemently refuted circulating social media claims suggesting that the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) had been approached with a request to change the nation’s leadership.