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Dr. Muiz Banire, SAN  (Nigeria) By Muiz Banire SAN  Last Sunday, on my Twitter page, I engaged my readers on the incubus and succubus of quota system and federal character rearing their ugly heads into our polity again.  I consider it worth the time and effort to agitate the issue here again as it is central to our development as a people and as a nation. The discussion originated from a recent statement credited to my friend, Saliu Lukmon, on the determination or election of the principal officers of the National Assembly.  The spirit behind the said intervention triggered my previous publications on the policies of federal character and quota system in the country. In the said intervention by Lukmon, he contended that the offices of the National Assembly should be zoned by the All Progressives Congress leadership while denouncing the use of money in the process, and the need to avoid the contravention of federal character in the emergence of the leadership of the National Assembly. 

*Mr. Peter Obi, Labour Party, LP, Presidential candidate (Nigeria) Mr. Peter Obi, Labour Party, LP, Presidential candidate on Tuesday, said he was not afraid of the lies and propaganda against him, noting that they were part of the journey to reclaim Nigeria. Mr. Obi in Onitsha, Anambra State, shortly after the National Executive Council, NEC meeting of the Labour Party, held in Asaba, Delta State, said: "If they come at us through land, air and sea, we will respond to them through land, air and sea, but we will remain law abiding and will never give up on the nation. We are on the right path, and we will remain committed to the course." According to the former Anambra State governor, "The millions of Nigerians who voted for me did not just cast their votes, but they invested their hope in me. They deserve justice. So, we must stay the course. And beyond regaining our mandate, I am committed to lifting people out of poverty. I remain committed to transforming Nigeria,

*Force Public Relations Officer,  Olumuyiwa Adejobi, Adejoh Siaka and Ndiwa Kpuebari (Nigeria) The police authorities have demoted an Inspector to Sergeant and another Sergeant reprimanded over the assault of a citizen in Rivers State by an officer. Force Public Relations Officer, Force Headquarters, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, in a statement on Tuesday, said: "Subsequent to complaints and findings on video evidence widely circulated on April 9, 2023, on social media of assault, discreditable conduct, and incivility to members of the public, at Emouha, Rivers State, and a follow-up orderly room trial of the affected policemen by the Force Provost Marshal, one Adejoh Siaka has been reduced in rank from Inspector to Sergeant. "Similarly, one Sergeant Ndiwa Kpuebari, who was also present at the scene but took no steps to discourage such inappropriate and shameful act was severely reprimanded. "However, one Inspector Friday Obaka, who was later discovered to have been absent fro

*Niger Delta Development Commission's Managing Director, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku (Nigeria) Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has said that capacity-building and thinking out of the box were necessary ingredients for the realisation of the commission’s resolve to make a difference in the development of the Niger Delta region. Speaking while declaring open a two-day training in Capacity-Building on Policy Process and Security Management in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, NDDC's Managing Director, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, stressed the importance of training and re-training in any organisation, noting that periodic update of knowledge was necessary to enhance the service delivery of the commission. Ogbuku, who was represented by the Executive Director Finance and Administration, Major General Charles Airhiavbere,(retd), said that the NDDC management recognised the need for staff development and urged the participants to pay attention and take advantage of the training. The NDDC Chief

*Mr. Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, SAN (Nigeria) By Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, SAN Precisely on Tuesday, April 11, 2023, the unthinkable happened in Great Ife, as a student was mobbed, beaten up and killed with bare hands, by his fellow students. Their banal excuse was that he allegedly stole a mobile phone. They snuffed life out of him, they killed his dreams and threw his family into everlasting mourning and disarray. They spilled blood upon the rich heritage of a university known worldwide as the birthplace of giants, moulder of destinies of distinguished personalities and builder of men and women of great accomplishments. Here are the facts of this gruesome act. Okoli Ahize, a 500-level student of the university was accosted by fellow students at the Obafemi Awolowo Hall for allegedly stealing a mobile phone in the said hall of residence. A mob of about 10-15 students descended on him, beating him to a state of unconsciousness. He was confirmed dead in the university hospital. Awo Hall is one o

*Mr. Okey Wali, SAN (Nigeria) The Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, on Tuesday, demanded the release of its former President, Mr. Okey Wali, SAN, who was kidnapped on Monday in Rivers State. NBA President, Mr. Yakubu Maikyau, SAN, in a statement, said: "It has come to my attention that one of our respected elders and former President of NBA, Mr. Wali, SAN, was reportedly abducted in the early hours of April 17, 2023, after his convoy was attacked on the East–West Road, in Obio/Akpor, Rivers State. "Mr Okey Wali, SAN was the 26th President of the NBA and has served this nation in varying capacities, contributing immensely to the growth of legal practice and in the promotion and entrenchment of the rule of law. "He is a known philanthropist, who has helped in the development of his community in no small measure. "I, therefore, hereby plead with the abductors not to harm Mr. Wali, SAN and make a passionate appeal for his release to his family. *NBA President, Mr. Yakubu

*National chairman of Labour Party, LP, Mr. Julius Abure (Nigeria) Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has pledged support for embattled national chairman of Labour Party, LP, Mr. Julius Abure, as it took over the national secretariat of the party in Abuja. NLC members, who stormed the national secretariat of  Labour Party in Abuja in show of solidarity with Abure, also directed all workers in the country to arrest anybody suspected to be plotting to destroy the Labour Party. NLC also threatened people it call 'rodents' trying to move into LP building, saying “We have come with some insecticide to fumigate the house from any rodents that is illegally trying to enter our property.” Visibly angry NLC President, Mr. Joe Ajaero, accompanied by the General Secretary, Emma Ugboaja, Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC leaders and other labour leaders as well as hundreds of workers, said: "Today, we say enough is enough. Never again will any human being enter here under any guise,

*Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State (Nigeria) Special Adviser on Media Projects to the Edo State Governor, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, has warned the Labour Party candidate for Oredo East State Constituency, Mr. Victor Igbineweka, to desist from dragging the good name of Governor Godwin Obaseki into his tantrums over his electoral loss. In a statement, the governor’s aide expressed disappointment over the recent trend of individuals and other actors within Edo State, who instead of taking responsibility for their failures, resort to blaming Governor Obaseki. According to him, “We are particularly appalled by the comments made by the Labour Party candidate for Oredo East State Constituency, Victor Igbineweka, in a viral video on social media. His malicious, distasteful, and false accusations against Governor Obaseki are nothing but a desperate attempt to appeal to emotions and drag the name of the governor into a matter he knows nothing about. “Let it be known that Governor Obaseki is a man

*Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State (Nigeria) Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State, has urged the Federal Government to take the necessary steps to support states in tackling the menace of flooding instead of just issuing alerts. Speaking in Government House, Yenagoa, on Monday when he received the leadership of Obogoro community on a courtesy visit, Governor Diri noted that tackling flood, erosion and other environmental challenges was costly and cannot be single-handedly handled by states alone. The governor said almost all communities in the state were affected by constant flooding and erosion, stressing that the government was doing everything within available resources to address the issues. Diri said as part of efforts to tackle flooding and erosion, his administration has set up a flood and erosion control agency to proffer holistic solution to the environmental issues. He stated that the government was already addressing the coastal erosion in Obogoro community in Yenago

*UBA corporate headquarters, Lagos (Nigeria) Africa’s Global Bank, United Bank for Africa, UBA, Plc, has released its unaudited results for the first quarter ended March 31st, 2023, recording remarkable growth across all its major income lines. The Bank’s result which was released to the Nigerian Exchange Limited, NGX, on April 13, 2023, showed that gross earnings rose by 47.5 percent from ₦183.9 billion to ₦271.2 billion; while Interest Income which stood at ₦125.9 billion as at March 2022, grew by 53.4 percent to ₦191.9 billion in the quarter under consideration. The results further revealed that Operating Income rose by 39.6 percent to ₦175.7 billion, as against ₦125.9 billion recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2022. Following the sterling performance recorded in its just released 2022-year-end financials, UBA again saw its Profit Before Tax, PBT, rising significantly by 38.2 percent to ₦61.4 billion in Q1 2023, up from ₦44.5 billion recorded in the first quarter of 202

(Nigeria) The Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Kogi State chapter, has cautioned aggrieved aspirants in the Kogi State Governorship primary elections against misrepresentation of facts regarding the conduct of the elections, saying that, as journalists, who covered the exercise, they were in a better position to give account of events around the process. The Chairman, NUJ, Kogi chapter, Adeiza Momohjimoh, said reports by certain politicians that the primary elections did not hold anywhere were not just far from the truth but also showed disrespect for journalists who covered the elections widely and reported their findings accordingly. He spoke during a press briefing held on Sunday, after an emergency council meeting of the Union, at the NUJ Secretariat in Lokoja, the state capital. The NUJ Chairman stated, "Our attention has been drawn to some reports in the media by politicians since the conduct of the APC governorship primary in Kogi State, trying to condemn the exercise a

*President Muhammadu Buhari (Nigeria) Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to use his “leadership position and role as the African Union Anti-Corruption Champion to widely publish your asset declaration form as you conclude your term of office in May 2023 and to leave a legacy of transparency.” SERAP also urged him to “encourage Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo; Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Lawan; Speaker of House of Representatives, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila and high-ranking officials of the next administration to also promptly publish their assets to date.” According to the Code of Conduct for Public Officers, contained in Part I of the Fifth Schedule to the 1999 Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended], all public officers are to declare their assets immediately after taking office; at the end of every four years; and at the end of his/her term of office. In the open letter dated April 15, 2023, by SERAP deputy director, Kola

*Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba (Nigeria) The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, has ordered the adequate deployment of supporting personnel and additional logistics for effective election security management during the forthcoming supplementary elections scheduled for Saturday, April 15, 2023, in 2,660 polling units, 185 local government areas across 24 states. Olumuyiwa Adejobi, Force Public Relations Officer, Force Headquarter, in a statement on Thursday, said: “The additional support includes the deployment of personnel, operational vehicles, non-lethal weapons, personal protective equipment (body armor), anti-riot equipment etc. “In the same vein, the IGP has directed all supervising senior police officers in charge of jurisdictions where the supplementary elections will be held, particularly the supplementary gubernatorial elections in Adamawa and Kebbi States, to ensure the emplacement of adequate manpower and other resources for effective

The dismissed police officers, Inspr. Dahiru Shuaibu, Sgt. Abdullahi Badamasi, and Sgt. Isah Danladi. (Nigeria) The Nigerian Police Headquarters, have dismissed three officers for offences of discreditable conduct to wit misuse of firearms, abuse of power, gross indiscipline, and wastage of live ammunition. Olumuyiwa Adejobi, Force Public Relations Officer, Force Headquarter, in a statement on Thursday, said: “Subsequent to complaints and findings on video evidence widely circulated on April 7, 2023, on social media of high-handedness, unprofessional conduct, and misuse of firearms against some policemen from Special Protection Unit, SPU, Base 1, Kano, and a follow-up orderly room trial of the affected policemen by the Force Provost Marshal, three officers from the SPU Base 1 Kano have been dismissed for the offences of discreditable conduct to wit misuse of firearms, abuse of power, gross indiscipline, and wastage of live ammunition. “The trio, Inspr. Dahiru Shuaibu, Sgt. Abdullah

*Mr. Peter Obi, Presidential Candidate of  Labour Party (Nigeria) The Obi-Datti Media Office on Thursday, said Mr. Peter Obi, Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, LP, in just concluded general election, was yet to receive an apology from the British Government for the traumatic experience he suffered in the hands of UK immigration officials on April 7, 2023. Head of  Obi-Datti Media Office, Diran Onifade, said: “We have been receiving enquiries with regards to a so called apology, purportedly issued by the British Government or any of its agencies, to our Principal Mr Peter Obi, in respect of a routine Immigration engagement with him, as he arrived London, for a brief visit, last Friday, April 7. “We would like to state emphatically that we are not aware of any such apology, and have not issued any statement whatsoever, in that regard. “While we continue to examine any dubious or political motive, on the part of the perpetrators of the identity theft, we have every confide

*L-R: Group Managing Director/CEO, Dangote Cement Plc, Arvind Pathak; Independent Non-Executive Director, Dangote Cement Plc, Dorothy Ufot, SAN; Independent Non-Executive Director, Dangote Cement Plc, Emmanuel Ikazoboh; Chairman, Dangote Cement Plc, Aliko Dangote; Non-Executive Director, Dangote Cement Plc, Abdu Dantata; Independent Non-Executive Director, Dangote Cement Plc, Ernest Ebi; Non-Executive Director, Dangote Cement Plc, Olakunle Alake; Non-Executive Director; Devakumar Edwin; at the 14th Annual General Meeting of Dangote Cement Plc on Thursday. (Nigeria) Chairman of Dangote Cement Plc, Aliko Dangote has guaranteed shareholders and other stakeholders of the company’s management’s resolve to keep the company profitable by leveraging on strategic innovations for the continuous growth of their investments. Speaking at the 14th Annual General Meeting, AGM, of the company in Lagos, Dangote said the prospects for the cement company remain bright as the management will continue to

Labour Party, LP. Presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi (Nigeria) The British government has apologised to Labour Party, LP. Presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi after immigration officials admitted wrongly giving him a detention note. The officials had detained Obi for committing several alleged financial crimes only to find out that he was being impersonated. They also said the uncomplimentary treatment he received was “completely unacceptable,” and issued a personal apology. “Frankly, the Immigration Official’s action – has been appalling – and we are sorry,” Immigration authorities apologized. Obi, was unlawfully detained and interrogated for hours by immigration officials at Heathrow Airport in London on April 7, 2023. Recall that the Media Office of Obi-Datti, had raised the alarm over plots to implicate Peter Obi by an impersonator, who could be committing all kinds of weighty crimes and other dubious acts which would be recorded in Obi’s name. In a statement by Diran On

*Dr Muiz Banire, SAN (Nigeria) Nigeria is on the verge of changing the baton of leadership, consequent upon the conclusion of the last general election in the country. Resulting from the outcome are several petitions filed in the various tribunals to interrogate the validity or otherwise of the results. Of interest to me in all of these is that the judges will have to determine the ultimate fates of the various declared winners and, by extension, the electorate in the various constituencies. Elections and their results have always been subject matters of litigation in Nigeria right from the days of the colonial enterprise from which many decisions of courts have arisen. The issue has always been that while the winning party is celebrating, the losing party is biting his fingers and licking his wounds. The situation has always put our judges on trial and the general public has always been querying the wisdom and the rationale that weigh against the loser. The law has always been as stat

IGP Usman Alkali Baba (Nigeria) The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, has met with the Chairman, Police Service Commission, Ex-IGP Dr. Solomon Arase, and retired Inspectors-General of Police on Wednesday, at the Police Service Commission Corporate Headquarters, Abuja. Force Headquarters, Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, in a statement, said: The meeting which was at the instance of Dr. Arase, amongst other salient things discussed issues affecting the Commission and the Nigeria Police Force drawing experiences from the retired officers who have at various times piloted the affairs of the Nigeria Police Force, and the Commission. *Chairman, Police Service Commission, Ex-IGP Solomon Arase “The retired IGP’s who graced the meeting include IGP Sunday Ehindero (retd), IGP Mike Mbama Okiro (retd), IGP Ogbonna Onovo (retd), and IGP Suleiman Abba (retd). “The PSC Chairman appreciated the IGP and retired IGPs for honouring his invitation while assuring th

L-R: Osun State Givernor and Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party Governorship Primary Election Panel, Senator Ademola Adeleke, Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, and former Governor and Senator representing Bayelsa West, Chief Seriake Dickson, during the PDP governorship primary election at the Dr. Gabriel Okara Cultural Centre, Yenagoa on Wednesday. (Nigeria) Senator Douye Diri, Governor of Bayelsa State, has emerged candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the November 11, 2023, governorship election in the state. Senator Diri clinched the ticket on Wednesday with a total of 305 votes as sole aspirant of the party out of 313 votes cast during the primaries, which took place at the Dr. Gabriel Okara Cultural Centre in Yenagoa. Addressing the delegates and party stakeholders, chairman of the PDP Electoral Panel and Governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke, said Diri having satisfied the statutory requirements of the primaries was declared winner. In his rema