Folarin Kehinde

The Federal Government has continued to detain Nnamdi Kanu, despite the Appeal Court ruling to release him from DSS custody.

FG indicated that it is not yet ready to release Nnamdi Kanu, over 24 hours after the Court of Appeal in Abuja freed him.

Addressing journalists after a national security meeting in Abuja on Friday, the Minister of Police Affairs, Mohammed Dingyadi, said the government was still reviewing the court’s decision before taking a position on it.

Re-echoing the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, who gave the government’s first reaction to the verdict late on Thursday, Mr Dingyadi said Mr Kanu, the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), was only discharged and not acquitted by the court.

Mr Kanu, a dual citizen of Nigeria and the United Kingdom, has been detained by the State Security Service (SSS) over terrorism charges filed against him since he was arrested in Kenya and brought back to Nigeria in June last year.

Twenty-four hours after the charges against him were dismissed and his release ordered by the appellate court, Mr Dingyadi said on Friday that the government was still reviewing the case, and would make its position known after weighing all available legal options.

“Similarly, the issue of Kanu has also been raised and Council was briefed on the state of things on the matter and it was observed that Kanu was discharged, but he was not acquitted.

“So, the government is considering the appropriate action to be taken on the matter and Nigerians will be notified of the position that will finally be taken on the matter in due course,” Mr Dingyadi said.

Mr Dingyadi’s comment is a repeat of the exact claims by Mr Malami in a statement on Thursday.

The “discharged-but-not-acquitted” line is seen by lawyers as a fuzzy basis for the government’s attempt to continue to hold Mr Kanu in custody against the Court of Appeal’s clear order for his release.

After the suspension of the Strike action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, many Universities across the nation are holding an emergency meeting to determine the timeline for resumption and academic activities.

ASUU suspended its recent strike action on the 14th of October, 8 months after it embarked on it.

In a statement by the union’s National President, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke, the union explained that it suspended the strike based on a court order while noting that the government had yet to meet some of its demands.

However, universities are set to hold special meetings to deliberate on new academic calendars instead of the one that was destabilised by the strike.

According to a memo, the University of Benin has slated a special senate meeting for October 18, 2022.

The memo, which was signed by the institution’s Deputy Registrar, M.I. Owie, partly read, “The vice-chancellor, Prof Lilian Salami, has approved that the meeting of the provost, deans, and directors should be held at the senate chambers on Tuesday, October 18, 2022.”

In a memo from the Federal University of Lafia, the school noted that the senate council would meet on Monday (today) indicating its focus on “reviewing the academic calendar.”

Other universities which have announced meetings for the Senate Council include the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, October 18, 2022; the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, October 17, 2022; the Federal University of Dustin-Ma, Katsina, October 17, 2022; and the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, among others.

Meanwhile, other universities, such as Sule Lamido University, have ordered students to resume immediately.

In a memo addressed to students and members of staff, the university management “encouraged students to resume back to school.”

Other schools that have announced resumption include the Tai-Solarin University of Education, the University of Port-Harcourt; the University of Calabar and Bayero University Kano.

The N607.962bn 2022 proposed budget by the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja has passed for second reading at the Nigerian Senate.

The appropriation bill was passed on Wednesday after several objections over the lateness of the presentation of the 2022 budget.

The Senate, consequently ordered the authorities of FCT  to make available the  2023 budget proposals latest by next week or risk zero allocation for the fiscal year.

The N607.962bn 2022 budget for FCT ran into trouble waters in the Senate after presentation for second reading  by the leader, Senator Ibrahim Gobir.

Senator James Manager repeatedly reminded the senators that the year the budgetary proposals were meant for was fewer than three months to roll away and subtly called for its rejection.

Manager said, “Mr President , if I heard the Senate Leader right, the N607billion appropriation bill  presented for second reading is for FCT and to be implemented in  2022 fiscal year, which is less than three months to roll away .

“To me, this is very unfortunate and must be stopped. What are the people saddled with drafting of the proposals doing since January? Are they aware that we are already in the 10th month of the year?”

In preventing rejection of the proposals, the senator representing the FCT, Philip Aduda, hurriedly rose to tender an apology on behalf of the FCT Minister for late submission of 2022 budget proposals.

Aduda, in his intervention, said: “ Mr President, it is very unfortunate that the 2022 FCT budget is submitted for consideration in October  but I seek the indulgence of this Senate to consider it by passing it for second reading as moved by the leader. “

But the President of the Senate, in his remarks, said submitting the 2022 budget proposals in October was not only unfortunate but unacceptable.