Hon. Kolawole Davidson Akinlayo Extends Heartfelt Message of Grace and Blessings for November.

Hon. Kolawole Davidson Akinlayo Extends Heartfelt Message of Grace and Blessings for November.                                                      By: Comr Olamide Akinwumi J.

In a touching message, the Member of the House of Representatives for Ekiti North Federal Constituency (II), Hon. Kolawole Davidson Akinlayo, shares his hopes for the new month.

With November on the horizon, Hon. Kolawole Davidson Akinlayo takes a moment to reflect on the past and look forward to a brighter future. In a heartfelt message addressed to the resilient and wonderful people of MOBA, Ido/Osi, and Ilejemeje local governments, he extends his wishes for a month filled with grace, hope, and blessings.

Hon. Akinlayo draws a beautiful analogy, comparing life to a tapestry, with each day as a thread and every month as a new chapter. He calls upon the community to embrace November as a chapter rich in grace, a quality that enables individuals to navigate life's challenges with dignity, kindness, and understanding.

The message underscores the importance of extending grace to one another and emphasizes that it is through shared compassion and support that the community thrives. It encourages everyone to count their blessings, both big and small, such as families, friends, and the beauty of society, and to nurture these blessings while remaining mindful of the responsibility to make the world a better place for all.

The essence of community strength lies in the collective spirit of its people, and Hon. Akinlayo calls for unity in facing challenges, celebrating victories, and building a brighter future together. He wishes for November to bring an abundance of grace, a wellspring of hope, and a cascade of blessings.

Hon. Kolawole Davidson Akinlayo's message reflects his deep care for the community and his commitment to fostering a harmonious and prosperous environment for all residents as the Member of the House of Representatives for Ekiti North Federal Constituency (II).

This heartfelt message resonates with the community as they prepare to welcome the new month of November, filled with grace, hope, and the promise of better days ahead.

Tinubu writes Senate, seeks confirmation of 10 RECs.

Tinubu writes Senate, seeks confirmation of 10 RECs.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Tuesday, October 31, asked the Senate to screen and confirm 10 nominees for appointment as Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for a term of five years.

Tinubu’s request was contained in a letter read by the Senate president, Godswill Akpabio at plenary.

The RECs nominees are; Etekamba Umoren (Akwa Ibom), Isah Shaka Ehimeakne (Edo), Oluwatoyin Babalola (Ekiti), Abubakar Ahmed Ma’aji (Gombe), Shehu Wahab (Kwara) and Prof. Mohammed Yelwa (Niger).

Others are Anugbum Onuoha (Rivers), Isma’ila Kaura Moyi (Zamfara), Bunmi Omoseyindemi (Lagos) and Aminu Kasimu Idris (Nasarawa).

Tinubu in his letter asked members of the red chamber to give expeditious consideration to his request.

Credit: The Nation Newspaper

108,000 Kogi voters won’t participate in November 11 election – REC.

108,000 Kogi voters won’t participate in November 11 election – REC.

It has been established that 108,000 registered voters will not vote during the November 11 governorship election in Kogi State, the Resident Electoral Commissioner for the Independent National Electoral Commission, Gabriel Longpet, has disclosed.

The figure represents the number of registered voters who did not show up during the four-week window INEC opened for the collection of Permanent Voter Cards during the last collection exercise which lasted from the September 10, to October 9, 2023.

In an exclusive interview with Arewa PUNCH in his Lokoja office, the Kogi REC further revealed that as at the close of the collection date on October 9, 2023 only 20,000 PVCs had been collected out of the outstanding 128,000 uncollected before the general election of February 2023.

Longpet disclosed, “The last day was 9th October for collection of PVCs, and we identified the number yet to be collected to be 128,000 uncollected PVCs in Kogi State. So, the Commission thought it wise to give more people the opportunity to come forward and collect theirs, since the majority of those affected were those who have requested for transfer and those who have defaced their cards.

“We have since gone through, and I am sad to say that within the period of four weeks, we are not able to distribute to people the number of PVCs we estimated because people didn’t come to collect their cards. Actually, just about 20,000 out of the 128,000 were collected during the period of the four weeks,” he noted.

Arewa PUNCH recalls that Kogi is one of the states whose Governoship election is conducted off INEC’s regular election season. The state does not conduct its elections at the same time with the general election due to an earlier political crisis which led to court injunctions that ensured that the then Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris spent extra nine months in office even after the expiration of his two-term of eight years in 2011.

Before the presidential election, which held February 25,  2023, out of a total 1.65 million registered voters, only 476,038 persons voted. This means that only one in every four registered voters in the state voted in the last presidential election.

While speaking on steps being put in place to ease accessibility to flood prone areas and the riverine parts of the state for easy accessibility and movement of election materials, personnel and logistics, the REC assured that such areas like Ibaji, Kupa, Egon and others already identified would be given special consideration.

“We are talking to the Airforce and the Navy to see the possibility of making use of their Aircraft and boats for conveying both personnel and electoral materials to and from those areas,” he said.

Dr Longpet who also commented on the payment modalities for the Ad-hoc staff stressed that this category of INEC workers have been warned not to domicile their transfer account in any bank not recognised by the Central Bank of Nigeria to avoid delay in payment of their wages after the election.

“Some of those who experienced delay in the payment of their wages last time were those who used online banks that were not recognised by the CBN like ‘OPay’, ‘Palmpay’, ‘Kuda’ and other such online banks. We will not accept those banks this time around to avoid unpleasant experience of not getting paid as and when due,” he advised.

Mr Bakare, pls sir, this Kogi election story too needs simple infographics to better illustrate the story, the reason I’m sending them early

Credit: The Punch Newspaper.

Tinubu sets up committee to consider gaps in police legal framework.

Tinubu sets up committee to consider gaps in police legal framework.

President Bola Tinubu, on Tuesday, October 31, set up a special committee that will take a look at and work on all the gaps in the nation’s legal statutes, right from 1999 till today.

Bauchi state governor, Bala Mohammed, disclosed this to journalists at the state House, Abuja, after the confirmation of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun by the National Police Council.

According to Mohammed, who lauded the choice of Egbetokun as IGP, the council’s meeting and the confirmation process led to extended deliberations concerning the Nigeria Police Force.

Bala stated that the committee consists of the Minister of Police Affairs, Ibrahim Geidam, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Solomon Arase, and the Chairman of the Nigerian Governor’s Forum, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, all collaborating on a shared reform agenda to ensure the comprehensive overhaul of the Nigeria Police.

He said: “The confirmation of the IGP prompted further discussion on the Nigeria Police Force and the President has formed a special Committee to look at all the gaps in Nigeria’s 1999 constitution with a view to bring harmony and synergy, closing technology and manpower to the Nigerian Police force.

“The committee comprise of the Minister of Police Affairs, NSA, Chairman of PSC and the Chairman of the NGF to work on common on reform agenda with a view to make sure that the Nigeria Police is reformed.”

Also speaking on the confirmation of the IGP, the governor of Ogun state, Dapo Abiodun mentioned that IGP Egbetoken remarked on professionalism in the Nigerian Police Force, Community Policing and adequate funding for the Nigerian Police Force.

Abiodun disclosed that the National Police Council observed that no meaningful reforms have taken place in the Nigerian Police force since its creation in 1861.

The governor added that the newly set up committee will come up with ideas that would lead to reforms that will characterize the new Nigerian Police Force.

He added: “The newly confirmed IGP is adequately prepared, his CV is extremely rich, very experienced intellectually and practically. He also addressed us as a Council on the state of policing in Nigeria, amongst other things that he highlighted he spoke about the need for technology driven policing.

“The need for community-based policing, the need to ensure that required budgetary provision is provided for community-based policing which has been proven to be very effective”, he said.

Abiodun further revealed that the newly confirmed IGP also addressed the Council on major Police requirements, which involved technology-driven policing.

“The IGP also remarked on professionalism g the police canvassing that each police man will have endowed certain qualities and they should be encouraged to follow those qualities so that they can be encouraged to follow such qualities so that they will be professional.

“The issue of funding also came up and this committee of 4-5 will look at these issues that border on reforms. We observed that there have been no meaningful reforms since the establishment of the Nigerian Police Force.

“So we believe that with the newly set up committee they will come up with ideas that would lead to reforms that will characterize the new Nigerian Police Force.”

In attendant at the briefing were the Ministers of Police Affairs, Ibrahim Geidam and Iman Sulieman-Ibrahim, Governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule, Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun and the Bauchi State Governor and the Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Solomon Arase.

Source:The Nation Newspaper.

Lagos Assembly amends Appropriation Law 2023.

Lagos Assembly amends Appropriation Law 2023.

Lagos State House of Assembly has amended the Appropriation Law of 2023 to authorise the re-ordering of N761,218,455,055.

The reordering was sequel to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s letter seeking authorisation of re-ordering of the 2023 Budget.

The House, at plenary yesterday, approved the reordering after Chairman of the Committee on Economic Planning and Budget, Lukman Olumoh, presented the committee’s report and recommendations, which were adopted as the House’ resolution.

At the sitting presided by the Deputy Speaker, Mojisola Meranda, the lawmakers read the bill a third time before its eventual passage.

Titled ‘A Bill for a Law to amend the appropriation Law, 2023 and to authorise the re-ordering of N761,218,455,055 from the consolidated Revenue Fund for Recurrent Expenditure, and N1,006,795,700,230 from Development Fund for Capital Expenditure’, it was unanimously approved by the lawmakers through a voice note.

The Deputy Speaker, thereafter, directed the Clerk of the House, Olalekan Onafeko, to forward a copy of the approval to the appropriate quarters.

Source: The Nation Newspaper. 

Motion on injunction: Court fines Aiyedatiwa.

Motion on injunction: Court fines Aiyedatiwa.

An Ondo State High Court has awarded N200,000 cost against Deputy Governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, over absence of his counsel in court.

Aiyedatiwa had filed a motion asking the court to restrain the state Chief Judge and the House of Assembly from proceeding with his impeachment, pending the hearing and determination of the appeal he filed against the judgment delivered by the court on October 10, 2023 dismissing his case.

His counsel was not represented in court to argue the motion.

Hon. Justice O. Akintan-Osadebay, who awarded the cost, directed Aiyedatiwa to pay N50,000 cost each to the Speaker of the House of Assembly, the House of Assembly, the Clerk to the House and the state Chief Judge, who were sued as the 3rd to 6th respondents in the motion.

Counsel for the House of Assembly, Femi Emodamori, represented by A. S. Subair, informed the court that the motion for injunction was adjourned till today (yesterday) based on the agreement of both parties, but wondered why the counsel for Aiyedatiwa was absent and did not deem it fit to write the court over his absence.

Justice Osadebey adjourned the hearing of the motion till November 7, 2023 and awarded N200,000 cost against Aiyedatiwa for wasting the time of the court and the other parties.

President Tinubu Highlights Investment Opportunities as Foreign Ambassadors Present Letters of Credence.

President Tinubu Highlights Investment Opportunities as Foreign Ambassadors Present Letters of Credence.

President Bola Tinubu has assured foreign ambassadors in Nigeria that his administration is ready to maintain open lines of communication and cooperation, with a focus on advancing mutually beneficial economic opportunities across sectors.

The President gave the assurance while receiving the Letters of Credence of the Ambassador of Angola to Nigeria, Mr. Jose Bamoquine Zau; the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to Nigeria, Mr. Pieter Leenknegt; the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway to Nigeria, Mr. Sevin Baera, and the Ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to Nigeria, Mr. Albert Castelar. 

In separate meetings with the Ambassadors, the President emphasized the importance of strong diplomatic relations and expressed his willingness to engage with the foreign missions. 

He told the Ambassadors that the Foreign Ministry and the Office of his Chief of Staff would always be available to interact with the foreign missions and address any matter of concern.

"We will maintain an open-door policy. We are ready to do anything that will make your stay rewarding and our relationship strong. Do not hesitate to bring up any matter with the Foreign Minister or my Chief of Staff; they will bring it to my attention," the President said, while wishing the ambassadors the best in their duty tours.  

During his meeting with the Angolan Ambassador, President Tinubu congratulated President Joao Lourenco of Angola on his re-election and referred to him "as a very good friend."

Receiving the Belgian Ambassador, President Tinubu acknowledged the active participation of Belgian companies in Nigeria's maritime industry and expressed the need to strengthen political and economic cooperation, particularly in the maritime and energy sectors. 

The President also exchanged views with the Ambassador on the potential dredging of Calabar port to make it more viable for revenue generation.

In his discussions with the Norwegian Ambassador, President Tinubu articulated his energy transition vision for Nigeria, stating that the transition from petroleum to gas to hydrogen is a priority for his administration. 

He called on Norway and other EU-member countries to support the economic reform programmes of his administration, particularly in the areas of food security, preservation, and other key agro-allied investments. 

‘‘You are a valuable partner, and we need your support. We have the population in Nigeria, and one out of every five black persons is a Nigerian. We must stimulate our economy. If Nigeria succeeds, Africa succeeds. This government is promoting a lot of reforms, and it is committed to improving the ease of doing business,’’ the President said.   

The Angolan Ambassador expressed gratitude to Nigeria for its role in liberating his country from colonial rule and expressed his commitment to building sustainable partnerships between the two nations. 

“I have four years to stay in the country, and I have the mandate of my President to build bridges between our countries. I am here to work to build a sustainable partnership,’’ he said.

Ambassador Pieter Leenknegt of Belgium discussed the commercial linkages that bind the port of Antwerp with ports in Lagos and Onitsha, while he expressed interest in expanding their presence to the Calabar port. 

He also called for enhanced ministerial engagements between the two countries, noting the interest of Belgian companies in Nigeria’s renewable energy sector. 

Ambassador Baera of Norway congratulated President Tinubu on the recent affirmation of his election by the Supreme Court. 

‘‘The bold steps you have taken on economic reforms since your assumption of office have been well received by Norwegian firms,’’ he said.

Stressing the need to strengthen business partnerships between the two nations, the Ambassador noted that there was great interest of Norwegian firms in Nigeria’s agriculture and energy sectors, highlighting recent investments in Nigeria's growing cocoa and solar panel industry. 

The Ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to Nigeria called for the establishment of direct flights between Nigeria and Venezuela, even as he expressed his country’s desire to deepen economic partnerships between the two oil-producing nations across multiple sectors, in terms of trade and investment.