Nelson Ugwuagbo

The Supreme Court has reserved judgment in the appeal over the Kano State governorship election.

A five-member panel of justices presided by Justice Inyang Okoro on Thursday reserved the judgment after listening to lawyers in the matter.

Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State and the New Nigeria People Party (NNPP) had filed the appeal challenging the November 17 judgment of the Court of Appeal, which nullified their victory in the March 19 governorship election.

The party are also notifying the apex court of the contradictions in the CTC of the judgment which upheld the governor’s election and awarded him the sum of N1 million in damages.

A three-member panel of justices led by Justice Moore A. Adumein upheld the appeal of Nasir Yusuf Gawuna of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The panel held that Yusuf of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) was not a registered member of the party and, therefore, not qualified to contest the election.

However, in the long argument before the apex court on Thursday, parties raised issues concerning the jurisdiction of the court in political party membership of a candidate.

The lawyers also argued over whether the court could “visit the sin” of INEC’ failure to sign over 160,000 ballot papers on the voters in Kano State.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the reintroduction of the popular school feeding program.

The program, previously suspended by the Muhammadu Buhari administration after years of operation, will now fall under the Ministry of Education, a shift from its previous placement under the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs.

Minister of Education Prof Tahir Mamman, who revealed the president’s directive during a recent retreat, said if the learning crisis is not tackled, it will be difficult to address the challenges of out-of-school children.

He added that the retreat served as a brainstorming session to map out concrete steps for implementing existing policies and clearly assigning responsibilities to different agencies, all in the fight against the out-of-school children crisis.

Ahead of the Christmas festivities, the Abia State Government has directed all local government council chairmen to dismantle all political billboards from the recent general elections.

Commissioner for Information and Culture, Prince Okey Kanu, announced the order following this week’s state executive council meeting, presided over by Governor Alex Otti.

He also expressed regret that street trading in the state has become a menace and is adversely impacting the newly constructed roads by the government.

According to him, “Despite spirited efforts by the government to arrest the menace, it continues unabated,” warning that the government will not fold its arms and watch the anomaly continue.

“With all the efforts the government has made, this menace (street trading) keeps rearing its ugly head, particularly in Aba. Incidentally, most of the new roads that the government has constructed, people use them to trade, and this will not augur well for these new roads.

“There has been a lot of interface between government officials and the market authorities, and in other instances, the culprits as it were; everything has been done, but to no avail. Despite the fact that this government puts a human face on its activities, by the New Year, the government will go all out to enforce the law.”

Ahead of the festive period, MTN Nigeria is partnering the Federal Road Safety Corps to temporarily open the Amawbia, Anambra State sections of the partially completed Enugu-Onitsha Dual Carriage Way.

Leading Reporters gathered that MTN is the financier of the dual carriageway that connects Anambra and other South-East states.

The Coordinator, MTN Community Liaison Initiative, Dr Reginald Facah, during a press conference in Amawbia, near Awka, Anambra State, said the road was opened to ease traffic flow for South-East commuters travelling during the Yuletide.

Facah noted that there has been a high influx of traffic along the Onitsha carriageway resulting in gridlock because of the Yuletide season, adding that the essence of opening the road is to decongest the traffic to make travelling seamless for road users.

He said, “Today, we are gathered to temporarily open the partially completed sections of the Enugu-Onitsha Dual Carriage Way, not because the entire project is ready, but because December and Christmas have seen unimaginable suffering on the parts of commuters and drivers on this same road.

“However, with today’s opening of the Amawbia section and the opening of Amawbia flyover, an untrammeled driving experience is once again here for human and vehicular traffic which are usually heat during this period.”

On his part, the Senior Manager Sales, MTN, Emmanuel Okereke, said the organisation is excited to partner with the Federal Government on a road infrastructure tax credit scheme to complete the rehabilitation of the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway.

Okereke said, “This road does not only connect Enugu and Anambra states; it is a gateway to the rest of the country and Africa. Our commitment is to deliver an expressway that will be the pride of the South-East people and Nigerians in general.”

In his remarks, Sector Commander FRSC, Anambra State, Adeoye Irelewuyi, said, “At festive periods like this, this section of the road always experienced very serious traffic jam at the slightest obstruction to traffic flow usually causes a pile-up in both directions.

“It is therefore with great joy and relief that the Anambra State Command of the FRSC is marking this occasion of the temporary opening of this section.

“We surely believe that it will ease the traffic jam usually experienced at the Amawbia flyover and underpass, as well as reduce road traffic crashes on the stretch.

The Sector Commander appealed to the people of the state and indeed all road users travelling during and after this Yuletide period to always exercise patience.

Earlier, the Anambra State Commissioner for Transport, Patricia Igwebuike, lauded MTN for their timely intervention and encouraged road users to use the road with caution, especially the Yuletide.

The Lagos State Government has warned residents of the state against improper waste disposal during the Yuletide celebrations.

The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab, in a statement on Wednesday, charged residents across the state to maintain a clean environment during and after the Yuletide for healthy living.

Wahab said it was important to remind Lagosians to show utmost love for the environment even as they celebrate by ensuring that all waste generated during the Christmas and New Year celebrations is properly disposed of.

He said, “I would like to urge all residents to endeavour to maintain a clean, safe and sustainable environment always because if you continue to haunt the environment through improper waste disposal, it will come back to you through flooding.”

Related News

 Yuletide: FRSC opens Enugu-Onitsha highway to ease traffic

 Yuletide: Be hopeful, Abiodun urges Nigerians

 Yuletide: Eight security tips for festive outings

He noted that “to avoid the spread of all forms of diseases, all forms of waste generated during the festive period must be properly disposed of through bagging and placed at the appropriate places for LAWMA officials to pick up.”

The commissioner assured residents that, because of the increased waste that is envisaged to be generated this season, the government, through the combined efforts of the ministry and the Lagos State Waste Management Authority, would continue to rid Lagos of refuse heaps.

He added that the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu was at the forefront of the campaign for healthy people and a cleaner environment, thus encouraging Lagosians to desist from acts that could have negative impacts on the environment.

The House of Representatives at plenary moved to adopt the 2018 policy that will recognise the Chinese Yuan as an official foreign currency for conducting business transactions in Nigeria to curb the continuous depreciation of the naira.

The House also mandated its committees on Banking Regulations, Banking, and Other Ancillary Institutions to liaise with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to explore the appropriate mechanisms, policies, and partnerships required for giving effect to the policy.

Adopting a motion sponsored by Hon. Jafaru Leko, the house said considering the volume of trade between Nigeria and China, the Chinese currency should serve as an official foreign exchange reserve currency alongside other major international currencies.

According to him, the International Monetary Fund proposed diversification of foreign exchange reserves for central banks of developing countries, including Nigeria.

Hon. Leko said the global economic landscape is evolving and international trade dynamics are shifting, with China assuming a leading role in global trade.

He said the People’s Republic of China has a stable and globally recognized currency, the Chinese Yuan (CNY), which is gaining recognition in international trade.

He said adopting the Chinese Yuan as an additional foreign exchange reserve currency might mitigate the adverse effects of Naira depreciation, reduce the risks associated with exchange rate fluctuations, and enhance Nigeria’s economic stability.

He argued that doing so would enhance Nigeria’s trade and economic ties with China, a crucial trading partner.

Hon. Julius Ihonvbare, the House Leader informed the house that the use of the Yuan was adopted as a policy by the government after the collapse of the price of crude oil in the international market, pointing out that what should be done is to implement the policy.

Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Interior, Hon. Ahmed Abdullahi, has pledged the Committee’s support to boosting the country’s internal security, through robust legislation and oversight mechanisms.

Hon. Aliyu Abdullahi gave the assurance on Wednesday at the National Assembly, during the Committee’s Inaugural Meeting.

The House’s Interior Committee, established by Order 20(B) Rule 63 of the House’s Standing Orders, is mandated to oversee certain Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, in accordance with Section 62 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as altered).

According to Abdullahi, the committee, composed of accomplished professionals and public servants, is well poised to fulfil its mandate, thanks to the trust bestowed upon us by our esteemed Speaker, Hon. Tajudeen Abass.

Hon. Abdullahi explained that the focus of their Committee lies in addressing the nation’s security challenges, with oversight responsibilities covering the Ministry of Interior, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Nigeria Immigration Services (NIS), and the Federal Fire Service.

He said: “To enhance internal security, we pledge unwavering legislative support, emphasising the deployment of technology and robust hardware.

“Our oversight activities will be comprehensive, ensuring value for allocated resources to the MDAs. Priority will be given to the welfare and provision of adequate equipment for our personnel, enabling swift responses to distress calls”.

Hon. Aliyu Abdullahi called on his colleagues to contribute their ideas towards shaping the Committee’s future activities, in line with the mandate of the 10th House of Representatives and the Federal Government’s ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda.

“Let us collectively commit to positively contributing to the Committee’s activities, justifying the confidence placed in us by the entire House.

Concluding, he expressed gratitude to the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, and Principal Officers of the 10th House of Representatives for entrusting us with this responsibility.

“We anticipate tapping into your wealth of experience.”