Connect with us

News

Supreme court to deliver verdict on LG autonomy suit Thursday

Published

on

 

The supreme court will deliver judgment on the suit seeking full autonomy for the 774 local governments in the country on July 11. 

 

Notices on the development have been dispatched to lawyers.

 

The Federal Government instituted the suit marked SC/CV/343/2024 against all the 36 states of the federation.

 

In the suit filed by Lateef Fagbemi, attorney-general of the federation, the federal government is also asking for an order preventing the governors from arbitrarily dissolving democratically elected councils.

 

The Federal Government also requested the apex court to authorise the direct transfer of funds from the federation account to local governments — in accordance with the constitution.

 

The suit is hinged on 27 grounds.

 

“That the constitution of Nigeria recognizes federal, states and local governments as three tiers of government and that the three recognized tiers of government draw funds for their operation and functioning from the federation account created by the constitution,” the originating summons reads.

“That by the provisions of the constitution, there must be a democratically elected local government system and that the constitution has not made provisions for any other systems of governance at the local government level other than democratically elected local government system.

READ  EFCC chair Olukoyede, secretary Hammajoda in senate for screening

 

“That in the face of the clear provisions of the constitution, the governors have failed and refused to put in place a democratically elected local government system even where no state of emergency has been declared to warrant the suspension of democratic institutions in the state.

 

“That the failure of the governors to put democratically elected local government system in place is a deliberate subversion of the 1999 Constitution which they and the President have sworn to uphold.

 

“That all efforts to make the governors comply with the dictates of the 1999 Constitution in terms of putting in place a democratically elected local government system, has not yielded any result and that to continue to disburse funds from the federation account to governors for non existing democratically elected local governments is to undermine the sanctity of the 1999 constitution.”

 

The Federal Government asked the apex court to invoke sections 1, 4, 5, 7 and 14 of the constitution to declare that the governors and state houses of assembly are under obligation to ensure democratically elected systems at the third tier.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

News

Good morning! Here Are Some Major News Headlines In The Newspapers Today: FG terminates Julius Berger’s Abuja-Kaduna road contract

Published

on

By

1. The Federal Government has terminated the contract for the Rehabilitation of the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Dual Carriageway, Section I (Abuja-Kaduna) from Julius Berger Construction company. A statement by the Director of Press, Federal Ministry of Works, Mohammed Ahmed, said the decision followed the failure of the management of Berger to show up for a meeting to fine-tune the contract worth N740bn, which the company rejected.

 

2. President Bola Tinubu on Monday swear in the seven newly-appointed ministers at the Council Chambers in Abuja.

 

3. Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, have arrested a former Governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa. He was arrested for allegedly diverting N1.3 trillion belonging to the state Government.

 

4. The federal government on Monday announced the removal of universities and other state-owned tertiary institutions from the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System, IPPIS. This was made known by the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, OAGF.

READ 

 

5. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday said the debt servicing to revenue ratio has further dropped to 65 per cent. He spoke during the inauguration of seven new ministers into the Federal Executive Council (FEC). The new figure is an improvement on the 68 per cent, given by the President in his October 1 Independence Day broadcast to the nation.

 

6. The Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Mrs. Oluwatoyin Madein, has said the government did not give a directive to workers to change their salary accounts. The AGF was reacting to a news report that workers had been directed to change a particular financial institution registered on the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) platform as their salary accounts.

 

7. All the minors detained in connection with the August 1 cost of living protest are to be released on the order of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Information and National Orientation Minister Mohammed Idris announced on Monday.

READ  Anambra Guber Poll: INEC assures on  e-transmission of results from 5,634 polling units

 

8. Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, has stated that there is no going back on President Bola Tinubu’s reforms in the forex, as well as the oil and gas sector. Edun made the disclosure when he received the newly assigned minister of state for finance, Doris Uzoka Anite at the Ministry’s headquarters, on Monday.

 

9. Operatives of the Bauchi State Police Command have neutralised six suspected kidnappers in some villages and in the Burra Mountain area, all situated within Ningi Local Government Area of the state. The Commissioner of Police, Auwal Musa Muhammad disclosed this when he paraded the suspects.

 

10. The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria says the Dangote Petroleum Refinery is inconsiderate for selling petrol at N990/litre, stressing that the company enjoyed massive concessions while accessing foreign exchange during its construction. PETROAN also insisted that imported petrol was cheaper than the N990/litre price of Dangote petrol. Major marketers recently revealed that the landing cost of imported petrol as of October 31, 2024, was N978/litre.

READ  Why we suspended strike - ASUU president

Continue Reading

News

Tinubu orders probe of security agents involved in arrest, detention of minors

Published

on

By

President Bola Tinubu has directed an investigation into the arrest and arraignment of minors detained for participating in the #EndBadGovernance protests.

Mohammed Idris, minister of information and national orientation, told State House correspondents that the president issued the directive to Lateef Fagbemi, attorney-general of the federation (AGF) and minister of justice.

Idris said the president has directed the immediate release of all minors arraigned over their involvement in hunger protest.

He added that Tinuhu also asked the humanitarian affairs ministry to rehabilitate the minors.

“Second, the president has also directed the ministry of humanitarian affairs and poverty reduction to immediately see to the welfare of those minors, and also take part to ensure their smooth reunion with their parents or guardians wherever they are in the country,” Idris said.

“Number three, the president has directed that a committee will be set up immediately to be headed by the ministry of humanitarian affairs

READ  Good morning! Here Are Some Major News Headlines In The Newspapers Today: Supreme Court to hear states’ suit against EFCC Act October 22

“It’s actually an administrative committee, to look at all issues surrounding the arrest, detention, the treatment, and finally the release of these young minors.

“Fourthly, the president has also directed that all the law enforcement agents involved in the arrest and the legal processes will be investigated.

“And if there are any infractions found to have been committed by any official of government, be him a law enforcement agency or whoever that person may be, appropriate disciplinary action will be taken against him or her.”

In August, many Nigerians across different states staged #EndBadGovernance protest against the state of the station.

The 10-day protest turned violent in some states  with protesters, leading to looting and destruction of public and private properties.

Many of the protesters were also seen waving Russian flags in some northern states.

On November 1, the police arraigned 76 persons, mostly malnourished minors, for alleged involvement in the protest, charging them with treason.

READ  Supreme court affirms Mutfwang as Plateau governor

However,  four of the minors collapsed n court.

The minors’ arraignment ignited public outcry on social media, leading to demands for their release, after which the attorney-general asked the police for the case files.

Continue Reading

News

BREAKING: EFCC arrests ex-Delta Gov Okowa for alleged fraud

Published

on

By

 

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested a former Governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa, for alleged diversion of N1.3 trillion 13% derivation fund from the federation account between 2015 and 2023.

 

An EFCC source confirmed the former governor’s arrest on Monday.

 

Okowa was arrested on Monday, November 4, 2024, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, when he reported at the Port Harcourt Directorate of the EFCC on the invitation of investigators handling his matter.

 

The former governor was alleged to have failed to render accounts of the funds as well as another N40 billion he allegedly claimed he used to acquire shares in UTM Floating Liquefied Natural Gas.

 

Specifically, Okowa allegedly bought shares worth N40 billion in one of the major banks in the country representing 8% equity to float the offshore LNG. The funds were alleged to be used for other purposes.

READ  Why we suspended strike - ASUU president

 

Investigators are also investigating the diversion of funds by the former governor to acquire estates in Abuja and Asaba in Delta state.

 

He is being held at the EFCC holding facility in Port Harcourt.

 

Okowa was the running mate to Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election.

Continue Reading

Trending News