Everton’s 10-point deduction reduced to six.

Everton’s 10-point deduction reduced to six.

Everton have had their 10-point deduction for breaching the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) reduced to six following their appeal hearing.

Everton will now be on 25 points which moves them up to 15th and five points above the bottom three.

It was reported Everton were sanctioned by an independent commission on November 17 after being found to have exceeded permitted losses by £19.5m over an assessment period ending with the 2021-22 season.

The club appealed the decision with the hearing taking place over three days, which concluded at the start of February.

“Everton FC appealed the sanction imposed against it on nine grounds, each of which related to the sanction rather than the fact of the breach, which the club admitted,” the Premier League said in a statement.

“Two of those nine grounds were upheld by the appeal board, which has substituted the original points deduction of 10 for six.”

Everton said they were satisfied the appeal had resulted in a reduction in the points sanction.

Everton said in a statement they were “particularly pleased with the appeal board’s decision to overturn the original commission’s finding that the club failed to act in utmost good faith”.

“That decision, along with reducing the points deduction, was an incredibly important point of principle for the club on appeal,” the statement added. “The club, therefore, feels vindicated in pursuing its appeal.”

“Notwithstanding the appeal board’s decision, and the positive outcome, the club remains fully committed to cooperating with the Premier League in respect of the ongoing proceedings brought for the accounting period ending in June 2023.”

Court to rule on Nnamdi Kanu’s bail application March 19.

Court to rule on Nnamdi Kanu’s bail application March 19.

A Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed March 19, 2024, to rule on the fresh bail application filed by the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.

The court also scheduled March 20, for the commencement of the resumed trial.

The trial judge, Justice Binta Nyanko, adjourned after listening to the argument by counsel to parties in the matter.

The trial resumed on the matter on Monday after being suspended after the Court of Appeal discharged and acquitted Kanu in October 2022.

The appellate court also declared illegal and unlawful, the rendition of Kanu from Kenya to Nigeria and quashed the entire terrorism charges brought against him by the Federal Government.

However, the FG appealed against the judgment at the apex court.

The Supreme Court in its judgement on December 15, 2023, ordered the continuation of the trial of Kanu on terrorism charges.

The court held that there is no law in the country stopping a trial based on the violation of the rights of a suspect.

Kanu has been in DSS detention since June 2021 when he was repatriated from Kenya to Nigeria.

At the court proceedings on Monday, the counsel for the defendant, Alloy Ejimakor told the court he had applied for the bail of his client and a preliminary objection.

He urged the court to grant Kanu bail on health grounds.

Ejimakor also said the continued incarceration of Kanu would affect his defence in the trial.

Constitution review: NASS to prioritise transparency, says Speaker Abbas.

Constitution review: NASS to prioritise transparency, says Speaker Abbas.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, on Monday, said the review of the 1999 Constitution by the National Assembly would be guided by the spirit of transparency, oneness, inclusivity and national cohesion.

He stated this on Monday while speaking at the inauguration of the House Special Committee on Constitution Review.

It was reported during the weekend that the committee chaired by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, had received over 44 bills seeking alterations in the 1999 Constitution on many issues including rotational presidency, State police, and local government autonomy, among others.

According to Abbas, the parliament will work hand-in-hand with the executive arm of government at the federal and state levels to ensure that the process enjoys the backing of Nigerians.

The constitution review exercise is expected to be completed within 24 months.

He said, “The process will be deeply rooted in engaging with the Nigerian people at all levels, including traditional and religious institutions, pressure groups and trade unions, ethnoreligious organisations, the diaspora community, and much more.

“We intend to harness the inputs of all Nigerians at the level of senatorial districts through open forum public consultations, and digital platforms, ensuring that every voice is heard and considered.”

Commending past exercises, Abbas who represents Zaria Federal Constituency added that the current review which is the 6th would focus on “devolution of powers, state policing; enhancement of fiscal federalism through local government autonomy; further decongesting the exclusive legislative list; recognising and assigning constitutional roles for traditional institutions; and promoting inclusivity, particularly greater gender equity and women representation into appointive and elective positions.”

He called on members of the committee, and Nigerians at large “Not to shy away from the complexities and the debates that will arise during this process, adding that “Instead, let us embrace them as vital components of a vibrant democracy. The discussions and disagreements are not signs of weakness but rather indications of our strength and diversity. They remind us that we are a nation of many voices, each with something valuable to contribute to our collective future.”

Earlier, in his welcome address, Kalu said the panel would work tirelessly to deliver on its mandate within the next 24 months.

Kalu stated that in the discharge of its assignment, the committee would ensure “that every voice is heard, every perspective is considered, and every citizen is empowered to participate in the shaping of our nation’s future. ”

He listed areas of consideration in the amendment to include “Establishment of state police, state access to mines; increased participation of women in politics; clear specification of the taxes/levies to be collected by each tier of government and the provision for the office of the Mayor of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.”

The deputy speaker also assured Nigerians that proposals passed in the last constitution review exercise but which were not assented to by the President, would be revised.

“It is important to reiterate that we are willing to accommodate more proposals to enhance our Constitution and strengthen our democracy. In addition, we await executive-sponsored bill proposals that reflect issues on the renewed hope agenda of Mr President, ” Kalu further stated.

Chairman of Conference of Speakers of State Houses of Assembly, Adebo Ogundoyin, on his part, said the State Assemblies would stop at nothing to ratify the Constitution alterations bills once they are transmitted by the National Assembly.

Ogundoyin who doubles as Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, said, “I assure you that through the conference of speakers, that all the States will work to ratify the documents once they are passed on by the National Assembly.”

However, Ogundoyin added that the debate on the review of the Constitution is an endless one until Nigerians get the Constitution they deserve.

President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, assured that the Senate and House Committees will work seamlessly to ensure a comprehensive review of the constitution, adding that the process was not just a law review, but an amendment with the potential to reshape the nation’s democracy.

Represented by Barau Jibrin, Akpabio said that the process would be guided by the highest principles of transparency, diligence, inclusiveness as well as collaboration.

See yourselves as God’s representatives, CJN urges new justices.

See yourselves as God’s representatives, CJN urges new justices.

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, on Monday, asked the new justices to see themselves as the representatives of God on earth.

According to him, any judgment given by the justices could only be set aside in heaven.

Ariwoola spoke in Abuja shortly after the swearing-in of the 11 new Supreme Court justices

He also urged the justices to be prepared for criticisms or verbal assaults by litigants who lose cases, adding that as justices of the final court of the land, appellants’ expectations are often very high and infectious.

He said, “See yourselves as the representatives of God on earth because as any judgment given at this level can only be upturned in heaven.

“There is no way you can please human beings, especially litigants. The easiest way to fail in life is by trying to please everyone. The only deity you can fear is the Almighty God. Once your judgment is in consonance with what God expects from you, and is also in accordance with the Constitution, you should consider yourself the happiest and freest person on earth.”

Ariwoola reminded the justices that they would give an account of their stewardship as justices to God one day.

He also cautioned the justices against allowing their ambition to cloud their sense of judgment.

Ariwoola also lamented that it took too long before the court could get its full complement.

He said, “The inability of the Court to meet up the statutory full compliment of 21 Justices had lingered on for too long.

“You are coming to join the Supreme Court Bench at a time when the rank had been grossly depleted to an all-time low of ten Justices for a number of reasons, mainly retirement and deaths.

“Your moral uprightness, integrity, and respect for the constitution and other extant laws in operation must be unwavering and unassailable.”

The newly appointed justices are Jummai Sankey, Chidiebere Uwa, Chioma Nwosu-Iheme, Haruna Simon Tsammani, Moore Aseimo A. Adumein, Obande Festus Ogbuinya, and Stephen Jonah Adah.

Others are Habeeb Adewale O. Abiru, Jamilu Yammama Tukur, Abubakar Sadiq Umar, and Mohammed Baba Idris.

The National Assembly had on December 21, 2023, confirmed the elevation of the justices following President Bola Tinubu’s recommendation.

Oyebanji Unveils N12 billion Economic Relief Programme.

Oyebanji Unveils N12 billion Economic Relief Programme.

….As EKSG moves to support households, formal and informal sectors.

Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, has approved a set of carefully designed relief programmes to alleviate the hardship being experienced by the people of the state in the face of the current global economic downturn.

 These programmes include the payment of one month salary arrears to State and Local Government workers totalling over N2.7 billion. With this payment, the Government has cleared the salary arrears owed to State Government workers, and will ensure the arrears owed Local Government workers are cleared this year.

 The Governor also approved an increase of N600 million per month in the subvention of autonomous institutions including the Judiciary and all tertiary institutions. This is to allow the institutions implement the wage award being implemented for State and Local Government workers.

In the same vein, Governor Oyebanji also approved the payment of two months pension arrears owed State and Local Government workers totalling N1.5 billion, as well as N100 million monthly gratuity payment to state pensioners and an increment of the current N50 million monthly gratuity to local Government pensioners to N100 million. (This brings total monthly gratuity payment to N200 million).

The State Government has also committed the sum of N1 billion to improve food production, especially to embark on land preparation, driven by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security’s tractorization subsidy scheme, and an input supply programme to support small scale farmers. Similarly, the Government is also committing a whopping sum of N1.2 billion it recently got as first tranche of the World Bank-financed Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support ( L-PRES) Project to transform the livestock subsector.

The money would be spent on empowering livestock farmers, boosting livestock productivity as well as creating a conducive environment for youths and private sector involvement in livestock businesses. This will include revamping all veterinary clinics across the local government areas and the state veterinary hospital; development of poultry sector across the value chain from production to processing; Feed formulation and artificial insemination (AI) training and support, among others.

 

 Additionally, the State is also launching a N500 million loan programme in partnership with Access Bank to support medium and small scale businesses. This is in addition to N1 billion cooperative fund to provide low interest working capital for cooperatives and members. These programmes will ensure that small scale businesses, a critical part of the State economy, also benefit from the relief programme, and help kick start the economy.

 The final set of the programmes include a continuation of the conditional cash transfer to low income households as well as the CARES programme which among other focuses on livelihood support, labour-intensive support, technology support for small businesses and support for agric produce and for which the sum N3.5 billion is earmarked.

It also include the free bus service for students and workers within Ado-Ekiti and Ikere-Ekiti, which will now be extended to Ekiti State University (EKSU) and other major towns; and the distribution of food items to the 177 wards of the State being coordinated by the Local Government Councils and Community Development Associations.

All these are in addition to ongoing infrastructure projects across the State, boosting power supply to critical areas including connecting the EKSU Campus to the IPP; which will also help lower the cost of logistics- a big driver of commodity prices; the free malaria treatment for elderly citizens and children as well as free delivery for pregnant women at all primary health care centres across the state.

Governor Oyebanji assured the people of the state of his administration’s commitment to the welfare and wellbeing of the citizens, urging them to cooperate with government at the local, state and federal levels as concerted efforts are being made not only to cushion the effect of the economic situation, but to grow the economy in line with the shared prosperity agenda of the administration and the renewed hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Obaseki tackles scarcity.

Obaseki tackles scarcity.

The Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has said he is taking steps to combat the current hike in food prices in the state.

He urged collaboration and support of all stakeholders to proffer lasting solutions to the incessant price surge and guarantee better welfare for the people of the state.

Obaseki met with relevant stakeholders, including market associations, traders, and farmers’ unions, among others, at the Urhokpota Hall, in Benin City, to chart actionable measures to address the rising cost of living, particularly food prices in the state.

He said, “I called this meeting because of the cost of living in Nigeria as things are hard, especially the prices of food. The people can’t eat anymore and as an administration, we can’t just keep quiet but to act.

“We have called this meeting to see how to solve this problem as trading blames will not lead to any solution to the serious challenges we are facing. All problems have solutions, and we are here to discuss and see how to solve this high price hike challenges facing us.

“You said trade unions are people fixing prices, but I don’t know how they work to achieve that in the market. I want to know how they fix prices. I thought it was demand and supply that controlled the prices.

“If we say unions are the problem then we must look at the unions and their activities and how to control them. We must set up a committee to check and look at the activities that lead to price hike. The committee will help us know if they are doing anything against the law.

“This meeting shows that bad road has a role to play in price increment in our markets. I have been begging the Federal Government to help repair and fix the Ekpoma/Auchi Road since when Babatunde Fashola was Minister for Works but no results till now. I appeal to them to ensure contractors complete the road which has been on for over 30 years. I have approached Dangote and BUA to support us in doing the bad portion of the road because their trucks ply that route.”

Earlier, Solomon Idiogbe, representative of the Edo Civil Society Organisation appealed to the governor to help check the activities of unions across various markets in the state as they significantly contributed to the rising cost of goods and services in Edo.

Edo State Market Women Association Leader, Madam Blackky Ogiamien, commended Obaseki for his administration’s commitment to the welfare of Edo citizens, particularly in the area of security.

Food smuggling: Customs to man 1,500 illegal routes with drones.

Food smuggling: Customs to man 1,500 illegal routes with drones.

In a move to tighten the noose on food smugglers, the Nigeria Customs Service has deployed drones and more operatives to restrict the diversion of foodstuff to neighbouring countries through about 1,500 identified illegal border crossings.

The National Public Relations Officer of Customs, Abdullahi Maiwada, confirmed to The PUNCH on Sunday that the NCS had increased its presence across the borders, including the illegal routes.

The development, he added, was in compliance with the Presidential directive to the security agencies to stop the smuggling of food out of the country as part of decisive measures to stem the food crisis in the country.

Amid the falling value of the naira, traders who deal in grains have been taking grains and other staples to Niger Republic, Chad and Cameroon for higher profits.

But this had driven up the prices of food in Nigeria, resulting in protests by citizens and attacks on food trucks by desperate citizens in some states.

Worried by the situation, President Bola Tinubu directed the National Security Adviser, the Inspector-General of Police and the Director, Department of State Services to go after food hoarders and smugglers.

The government ruled out the importation of food as part of strategies to address the high costs of foodstuffs and the economic hardship troubling the country.

Following the directive, dozens of food trucks leaving the country had been intercepted and sent back.

Giving an update on the measures against food hoarding and smuggling, the NCS spokesman, Maiwada, explained that the deployment of drones was under the Trade Modernisation Project of the Federal Government, noting that the equipment needed for the protection of the borders was being provided through the TMP.

“The deployment of drones and other software is part of our Trade Modernisation Project, which has been concessioned. The TMP was approved by the Federal Government for 20 years. So any development that has to do with what you are asking is part of the contract,” he stated.

In July 2023, it was reported that the NCS was collaborating with the Trade Modernisation Project Limited under a public, private partnership arrangement.

Speaking at the inauguration of the NCS Trade Modernisation Project management office in Abuja at the time, Saleh Ahmadu, chairman of the project, said the TMP would invest a total of $3.2bn in the aforementioned period.

“The project would result in efficiency in NCS’ service delivery. Under the terms of the concession agreement, TMP will invest a total of $3.2bn over a 20-year period, which will generate more than $200bn in revenue for the Federal Government.

“As trade becomes increasingly complicated, the project will equip the NCS with the necessary technology tools and platforms to drive trade harmonisation,” Ahmadu had stated.

Asked about the number of personnel that would be recruited, the Customs spokesperson said, “We have recruited a large number of personnel in the last few years in terms of human resources. And even this year, based on the approved budget, there is going to be the recruitment of more junior staff to be able to effectively manage the border areas. I may not be able to give the exact figure now, but I know that over 2,000 officers have been recruited from 2019 till now.

“In terms of equipment, modernisation, the use of drones and other sophisticated technologies in managing the borders that are contained in our Trade Modernisation Project which is concessioned for 20 years.

“The concession agreement is between the Federal Government and Trade Modernisation Limited. They are providing scanners, software and all necessary technologies required at the seaports, airports and borders.”

On whether the concession was already in place, Maiwada stated that the concessionaires had started working.

“It is in place and they are working assiduously. They have started working and very soon we will see the manifestation of what they are doing,” he stated.

On the deployment of technology to check food smuggling, the chief superintendent of Customs admitted “There is still room for improvement.’’

He added, “However, very soon you are going to see the deployment of Non-intrusive Inspection Technology across our borders. I think they are providing about 74 of them or more. These are to be deployed on the seaports, airports and land borders.”

NIT technologies are force multipliers that enable Customs officers to screen or examine a larger portion of the stream of commercial traffic while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade, cargo and passengers.

They include digital X-ray and vibration monitoring, ultra-high frequency analysis and dynamic contact resistance measurements.

Maiwada had earlier told our correspondent on Saturday that the agency had intercepted food smugglers in Kano, Katsina and Sokoto states.

The agency recently revealed that it intercepted 15 trailers that were fully loaded with food items and were heading out of the country through the Sokoto State border.