Category: Northern Report

• By Comrade Daniel Onjeh 

Recently, soldiers and men of Niger’s Presidential Guards toppled the democratically elected government of President Mohammed Bazoum and declared the unit’s head the country’s new leader. This came on the heels of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the newly-elected ECOWAS president, reading the riot act to aspiring coup plotters in the subregion. In a swift reaction, ECOWAS convoked an extraordinary summit in Abuja in which its leaders condemned the coup and issued a week-long ultimatum to the perpetrators to return power to the legitimate democratic government or face a stiff pushback including the use of force to restore democracy to the Sahel nation.    

This swift, bold step is without precedence in the annals of the regional body. ECOWAS is living up to its responsibilities at last.

In the past five to ten years the West African subregion has suffered a litany of coups that have tarnished it democratic credentials and turned a region that was once the bastion of democracy into a crepuscular graveyard of military adventurism in the iron grip of military juntas. From Mali to Burkina Faso to Guinea, democratic governments have been toppled to the ground like a sand castle on a windy beach. This development does not only present a threat to West African democracy, it puts its security at great peril as well.

Although sections of the Nigerien population are in support of the coup and had spilled into the streets in celebration of it, this is not a surprise because coup plotters in Africa appeal to public sentiment and their nation’s prevailing mood to garner support for their illegal deeds. This is their usual gimmick. When they take over power unconstitutionally, they proceed to announce all sorts of policies that would deceive the public into accepting them. Being fully aware of the illegitimacy of coming into power through the barrel of the gun, the first thing they do is try and get local support by formulating policies that, on the surface, look good. I have observed this trend even from my childhood, from stories of the coups of those days especially of Uganda’s Idi Amin. When he ousted Milton Obote, the populace went out into the streets in jubilation. These same people soon realized that they had embraced a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Read Also: ECOWAS leaders meet on Niger Coup

Choosing between a democratic government and a military junta is a no-brainer. No matter how corrupt, inept, and irresponsible a democratic government is, it is infinitely better than the most benevolent military dictatorship. This retrogressive takeover of government by Niger’s military has taken the subregion back several years. Subregional democratic gain earned over many years has gone up in smoke within a few days. And it took us ages to get to where we were pre-Niger coup. This must be noted by all in West Africa—leaders and citizens: no matter the difficulties or challenges we face in a democracy, we shall come out of it someday. Military intervention, as far as I know, has not solved any nation’s problems. If anything, it only exacerbates them. In our yearning to arrive at national Elysium, we must not be too hasty, because democracy is a process not necessarily a destination. And we shall get there eventually.

We must bear in mind that the West, from which we copy our democracy, did not arrive at where they are in a blink. Their history has told us that they have had innumerable hurdles to cross in their democratic journey over the centuries. They have had their fair share of political and economic upheavals. Prudence requires that we study their difficult paths and strive to avoid them as we embark on our own journey. What is the use of learning from others’ experiences if not to spare ourselves from falling into the snares, mires, and quicksand that often strewn the road to democratic maturity?  

The Niger coup has received universal condemnation. It has been condemned by nations, regional and subregion bodies, and well-meaning individuals including myself. Having served as a West African Student Union (WASU) President and being in the forefront of advocating for the deepening of democracy and good governance in Africa for almost two decades, I am of the view that Africa must not tolerate coups in whatever guise.

While we condemn the Niger coup in unequivocal terms, our leaders should also know that they must fold their sleeves up, buckle their belts, and sit up. They must put on their thinking caps, dig deep, and formulate country-specific economic policies that will boost their economy, raise their people’s standard of living, and eliminate the hardship they currently wallow in. Their people, including members of their armed forces, should note that the hardship beleaguering their countries is a global challenge caused by the worldwide economic downturn occasioned by several things starting from the dreaded coronavirus, the disruptive Ukraine-Russia War, and other cogent global economic factors. The hardship these factors wrought is biting hard all over the world; it should, therefore, not be used as an excuse to oust a democratically elected government. Nor is insecurity (the purported reason behind Niger’s coup) a strong enough reason to justify the same.   

In the interim, governments of West African states should devise actionable measures that will mitigate these challenges to make life bearable for their citizens, particularly the poorest of the poor.  

ECOWAS’s response to the Niger coup is highly commendable. With it in place, would-be coup perpetrators have been served a stern notice that there is no safe haven for them anymore. Gone are the days when they would oust democratic governments and be celebrated. It is no longer business as usual.

Under Tinubu’s firm leadership, ECOWAS has taken a bold step, a major political statement, that will serve as a deterrent to coup plotters in the subregion. It will tell them there is no room for them. They will not be tolerated or accommodated any further.

Armed forces in the subregion must remember their constitutional role and be true to it. They exist only to secure their nation and to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Beyond that, is plunging into unconstitutionality and the realm of treason and sedition. What they can do to contribute to the development of a peaceful, prosperous nation outside of their constitutional role is diligent, uninterested service during the electioneering process. When deployed in such assignments (although most people frown at that) they should be nonpartisan and do their best to secure voters to enable them to vote for the leaders of their choice. That done, society will be a much better place.

If members of the armed forces of West African nations yearn for the betterment of their nations, they should start playing positive roles during elections. By so doing, they would help install good leaders who will rule well thereby denying soldiers the excuse of capitalizing on bad governance, collapsed economy, or insecurity to take over power in their countries.

 Onjeh, the APC 2023 Senatorial Candidate for Benue South, writes in from Abuja_

• By, Qudus Kola Balogun 

Prior to the appointment of Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa as the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria in 2017, the Nigerian housing sector had been facing serious challenges that appeared insurmountable.

Immediately he assumed office, Dangiwa embarked on revolutionary moves that changed the face of housing in the nation, and his legacies will obviously stand the test of time.

Ahmed Musa Dangiwa is an example of the wisdom of putting a round peg in a round hole when it comes to appointing people to run national institutions.

This came from his over 30 years in the real estate and infrastructure development sectors, which enabled him to have specific ideas about the challenges of providing affordable housing to Nigerians and how to meet these challenges.

“We have provided over 9,000 houses, and have provided mortgages worth more than N110 billion within the last three years,” he said with relish after spending some years in office.

He continued: “Apart from that, we have also created a micro finance loan which is given to individuals, especially to renovate their house.”

Supervising several outstanding projects in diverse areas and sectors across the country opened his eyes to the enormity of the nation’s housing deficits.

Dangiwa knows why people are reluctant to go for the mortgage option in addressing their housing needs.

He once said that a civil servant cannot pay 30 percent equity for a house, which is what is on offer in commercial banks. So he led FMBN to come up with a drastic policy.

“So we had to reduce the equity to 10 percent for a house that he has to buy for N10 million. The equity for houses between N5-10 million was reduced to 10 percent. But any mortgage that is below 5 percent is 0 percent, which means they don’t pay any equity. With that I was able to get more mortgage for Nigerians, especially the low and middle income earners, and some in the informal sector.”

One of the challenges in the housing sector that he grappled with is “how to make affordable mortgages more accessible, and even if you have to provide mortgages there have to be underlining houses.

“Most of the houses I met were those built by developers, who sourced their funding basically from open markets at high interest rates and high cost of land, other costs which majorly increases the cost of houses.”

To address the issue of affordability, especially among civil servants, he says, “We had to enhance our construction panels in such a way that you will have to provide construction panels for developers, to give them affordable interest rates to create affordable houses and then we give mortgages.”

Innovations:

When he assumed leadership of FMBN, he realized that many of the houses that banks had built were not subscribed because people could not access them due to their equities being too high. “So we created another program called “Rent to Own”. With this, subscribers approach FMBN offices in the states, who will give them access to the house as tenants. While living in the houses as tenants, they pay either monthly or annual rents until the houses become theirs.

Dangiwa also brought an insurance scheme to the mortgage housing sector. In the event that the house is destroyed by a storm, rain or other causes, insurance will be there to.cover the loss, you, whose insurance also covers the eventuality of death, paying up the house on behalf of the deceased’s family.

Another innovation that Dangiwa introduced is the use of certificates of occupancy (C of O) for lands. “Instead of them buying houses, we can give them individual construction loans to build the houses at their own pace on any location the land is situated,” he explains.Money is given to subscribers in 3 phases — 30 percent to start it; we give you 30 percent to roof it and the remaining 40 percent for finishing.

He identified land availability as one of the major constraints to the delivery of housing, due to the stringent conditions state governments attach to allocation of land. He noted that “Some government agencies take a lot of time to issue C of O. State governments have to ensure that they make access to land easy and they also have to make it easy for estate developers. Governments have to make sure that even if the lands are subsidised, there should be access roads into the land.”

Other ground-breaking milestones recorded by the FMBN Management under Dangiwa include zero equity contribution for mortgage loans that are N5M and below, reduction of equity for loans of up to N15M from 30 to 10 percent as well as increased tempo in the provision of housing loans to Nigerian workers under the National Housing Fund (NHF).

Under Dangiwa, FMBN’s increased nation-wide public sensitisation program, high-level engagements with stakeholders including state governments, labour unions and other housing industry persons and increased transparency saw the increase of workers who contribute 2.5 per cent of the monthly salaries to NHF scheme rise above five million. Thus, expanding the pool of finance available to the FMBN.

Notably, the bank pooled a total of N134 billion from the NHF within three years, with N121 billion in loan approvals. This implied an average of N44 billion in total contributions per year! The difference is stark when compared to total collections of N232 billion between 1992 and 2016 at a yearly average of N9.6bn.

The astonishing improvements recorded by the Dangiwa-led team within three years are significant in the history of housing development in Nigeria at a two fundamental levels.

One, they provided solid proof that the often-criticised NHF Scheme, despite its sub-optimal impact in the first two decades of its establishment, is indeed, a good and viable scheme for catalysing affordable home delivery. Two, they show that the scheme possesses great potential to act as impact as an institutional enabler of affordable housing delivery and above all, under the right type of leadership.

The strides signaled what is possible and should encourage the government and relevant industry stakeholders to support and encourage the current management to sustain the momentum. As the main fulcrum of FMBN’s activities, the NHF supports the bank’s suite of affordable housing loans that target a critical segment of the population i.e. workers who fall within the low- and medium-income brackets. Provisioned at terms and conditions that are unrivalled in the market, FMBN’s products currently stack at the top as the average Nigerian worker’s best route to affordable housing.

From a very unique perspective, therefore, Dangiwa understood why developers build expensive houses. He links this to limited funds available to them. “First and foremost, they got the lands at very high costs – as high as 25 to 30 percent. In banks they give construction finance at 25-30 percent interest rate, but here we give construction finance to developers at 10 percent, so we have reduced in such away that constructions done by developers for FMBN subscribers are meant to be more affordable.”

He also highlighted the need for the federal government to strengthen institutions that are into affordable housing.

Dangiwa spearheaded N500billion recapitalization drive of the bank to boost its capacity to create affordable mortgages which has received federal government and stakeholder wide support.

FMBN sent a memo to FEC for the required N500 billion. However, Dangiwa explained that the bank was not expecting this to be made available in a fell swoop. Realistically, it was looking for N200billion as equity contribution from the government, while N300 billion were to be sourced from investors who wanted to invest in FMBN.

“Even the N200 billion does not have to come at once; it can be in two tranches, because we know the government has other priorities. But the point needs to be stressed that housing is also a priority, because it is one of the social responsibilities of the government to ensure that citizens have access to houses,” he said.

Dangiwa severally appealed to critics of the pace at which the government is implementing its affordable housing policy, vis-à-vis the need to subsidise the scheme, to “calm down.”

He admonished: “We should understand that there are no countries that have succeeded in providing affordable houses to its citizens without subsidy, which is very important to strengthen the institutions that are responsible for doing that. If institutions such as ours are not strengthened to function properly, it is going to be difficult for them.”

In addition to worrying about the challenges of providing houses to the masses, Dangiwa sought to address the welfare of FMBN staff.

He recalled: “When we came on board we found out low morale at work for which many factors are responsible. There are people who are given housing loans, but you find out that their rental income is too low for even senior staff to own houses even on the outskirts of Abuja. So we had to make sure that their rental allowances were increased by 100 percent. And we discovered that most staff have stayed for 10 years without promotion.So we had to promote staff, to motivate them to do better.”

He also implemented a programme of inclusion, when he found out that in the bank, there were some staff that were employed as casual staff. “I met 276 of such casual staff, who were denied permanent employment by the previous leadership. They kept on picking and using people as casual staff, some of whom were graduates, on a monthly salary of N40,000.”

Dangiwa also effected decentralisation of the bank’s operations. Of this he said: “Through decentralisation, states now have the right to process and recommend for disbursement to head office, so they do the checks and balances and send to the head office.” As a result, the bank disbursed over N 31 billion in the past within three years ago, compared with the disbursement within the previous 25 years of the bank from (1992 to 2017), the disbursement was only N10 billion.

Before he took over the reins, most of FMBN’s operations were carried out manually. “Before, you only had a passbook and when you contribute; you didn’t even know what you were contributing,” he recalls. This did not help transparency and accountability. Now,many of its operations have been digitized. With just dialing *219#, customers can transact a lot of their businesses with the bank.

Noteworthy is the disbursement of a total of N169.8billion in housing loans within the four years, representing a 111 per cent increase over the N152billion that was disbursed since the NHF scheme was established 25 years ago.

Read Also: Daura may threaten Nigeria’s democracy — Dangiwa Umar 

Dangiwa also opened a new vista of innovative home loans that are designed to create a good fit between what the bank is offering and the income capacity of workers who subscribe to the NHF scheme.

Housing Challenges in Nigeria:

For many Nigerians, access to decent and affordable housing remains a critical challenge. The housing challenge is especially exacerbated by the rise in rural-urban migration, which continues to stretch the limited public infrastructure in urban centres.

The depth of the challenge is already quite clear, according to the International Human Rights commission IHRC, more than 28 million Nigerians lack access to decent and affordable housing, and this is in tandem with the estimates of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), which project that Nigeria requires at least 28 million housing units to close the Housing gap.

However, the challenge did not start today; Nigeria’s housing deficit has grown progressively from 7 million housing units in 1991 to 12 million in 2007, 14 million in 2010 and subsequently 28 million housing units in 2022. The combination of a growing urban population, lack of an efficient mortgage system, poverty, increasing construction costs, high inflation and declining household income, have made access to decent and affordable housing difficult for many Nigerians. The Central Bank of Nigeria in 2019, note that only 10% of Nigerians who desire to own a home can afford it. When compared to 72% in the United States and 78% in the United Kingdom, the estimate is largely inadequate for the size of our economy.

Despite the enormity of the housing challenge, there is a lot that suggests Nigeria can turn the tide around, close the housing deficit and steadily provide for the country’s needs.

The Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) estimates that N21trn will be required to close the housing gap, this clearly suggests that the government cannot address the challenge alone and that only a collaboration between the government and private sector players will be adequate.

There is no doubt that Nigeria must aspire to close its housing gap within the shortest time possible. While the government has a major role to play, only private sector-led investment provides the capital that can guarantee the level of investment that is required to close the gap and clear the deficit.

Qudus Kola Balogun is the Chairman of Chiocestone Capital Limited

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called for a review of the maternity protection policy in Borno and Yobe States to help mothers breastfeed their infants exclusively for six months.

Phuong T, Nguyen, the Chief of Field Office in northeast Nigeria said this on Monday during a briefing to herald the World Breastfeeding Week in Maiduguri.

According to Nguyen, more than 75 per cent of children in Yobe State and 58 per cent in Borno State do not enjoy exclusive breastfeeding, an important measure that could protect them from preventable diseases and death.

“As I speak, too many newborns are missing out on the advantages of early initiation and exclusive breastfeeding in their first six months of life. This is unacceptable. Early initiation and exclusive breastfeeding with zero water for six months are child protection measures which contribute greatly to their wellbeing and set them up for higher achievements in life.

We must therefore improve sensitization and enlightenment on the benefits of early initiation of breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding in communities and health facilities. We must initiate policies that support women, especially displaced mothers to sustain exclusive breastfeeding for up to six months. We must work with influential personalities, including religious and traditional leaders, men and women groups to promote the benefits of early initiation of breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding.

Read Also: UNICEF, WHO hail Nigeria’s immunisation programme

Acknowledging that more than 97 per cent of children in Borno State and 61 per cent in Yobe State are breastfed, the UNICEF Chief said late initiation of breastfeeding and not exclusively breastfeeding infants are denying them the full benefits of breastfeeding.

“Early initiation of breastfeeding within the first hour of birth, exclusive breastfeeding with zero water for six months and continued breastfeeding for up to two years and beyond are important links in one nutritional chain that must remain unbroken to deliver full benefits.

They are all linked and together, they confer formidable protection from infections, reduce infant mortality, facilitate bonding between mothers and newborns and lay a foundation for brain and physical development,’’ she said.

Sariki of Agwara Duwatsu in Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State, Zakari Mohammed has appealed to the Federal and state governments to provide essential socio-economic amenities in the area.

Mohammed made the appeal during the wedding of the son of Dr Ibrahim Goni, the Conservator-General (CG), National Park Service,  Farouq Ibrahim Goni and Aisha Halidu at the weekend.

 “We have been lagging behind in terms of social and economic amenities and special projects in Agwara for the past 32 years.

 “We are pleading with the Federal Government and Niger State Government to come to our aid in terms of roads, water and electricity. Without the federal and state governments’ intervention, we can’t achieve all these.

 “We also want to experience and enjoy the dividend of democracy in our local government,” the traditional ruler said.

 He said the local government could not embark on any project because of its meagre allocations except with the aid of the federal and state governments.

 “On the issue of security, Agwara has been a home of peace and with the efforts of our vigilante personnel and security agencies, we have been able to curb insecurity,” Mohammed said.

However, he said the community was just affected by insecurity issues recently due to its closeness to other areas affected by insurgency.

Goni urged the government to give palliatives to citizens based on available resources to cushion the effects of petrol subsidy removal.

He prayed that God will give the newly married couple peace in their marriage and bless them with godly children.

The couple expressed appreciation to the public for gracing their ceremony.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the wedding ceremony was well attended by dignitaries from many parts of the country.   

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Department of Parks and Recreation, in collaboration with Rotary Club of Abuja Deluxe and other  Non-Governmental Organisations, has commenced planting of 6,000 trees in Katampe District of Abuja, the nation’s capital city, as a strategy to beautifying and saving the environment.

Kicking off the exercise at the Patrick Yakowa Street, in Katampe Extension, Director of Parks and Recreation Department, Isaiah Ukpana, said there are about 30 streets in the district to be planted with trees, as part of its tree planting effort across three selected Districts, which Katampe is the last.

He said the trees were supplied through partnership with a lot of organizations, adding that: “for instance in Katampe District, we have, Rotary Club Purple Hands, AstraZeneca and Parks Association amongst other NGOs.”

According to him, there is a lot of professionalism going into the exercise, to ensure that selected trees are those that their roots will not damage underground infrastructure within the green verge. 

In terms of maintenance and sustainability of the project, he said: “On our own part, we are going to do a lot of watering, to make sure that these trees during the dry season can still survive.

“We are hoping to plant about 6,000 trees here (Katampe District). In this District some roads have been planted earlier, and we have about 30 streets to be planted with trees, in the next few years, this environment will change. Because, tree planting is an environmentally friendly activity, which every citizen should nature.

“Trees give a good landmark to a community, purifies the environment, helps to control erosion. To this extent, it is important for us (stakeholders) to own the trees. We encourage residents of these neighborhoods to do so.”

On her part, President, Rotary Club of Abuja Deluxe, Brenda Max-Nduaguibe, noted that the Club planted trees as a strategy to sustainably contribute to saving the environment, which is one of its seven areas of focus this year.

Nduaguibe said Rotary is partnering an NGO, Purple Hands Initiative and FCTA’s Department of Parks and Recreation to plant 722 trees in the whole of Patrick Yakowa Street in Katampe Extension, as its contribution to support the government and residents in the area and humanity at large.

Similarly, Head of a Astrazenica, a Pharmaceutical Company, Stephen Awoicho, noted that the company is donating five hundred seedlings, in support of tree planting in FCT.

The Arewa Youth Federation, an umbrella body of youth from the 19 northern states  has condemned calls demanding the resignation of the Director – General, Department of State Security (DSS) Yusuf Bichi

In a statement at the weekend by its National Coordinator, Kabir Muhammad described those behind the call as paid agents who can do anything for money, including “selling their birthright.”

The AYF particularly accused cronies of an embattled bank chief and a Hausa leader in Lagos who were arrested by security service over suspicion of financial crimes.

Read Aso: Bulkachuwa sues Fed Govt for alleged harassment by DSS, ICPC, others

The statement reads: “Let it be abundantly clear that Arewa Civil Society Organisations (ACSO) does not exist neither does it have the mandate of the people it pretends to represent. Those behind this faceless organization are nothing but thugs under the payroll of some unpatriotic elements. As the authentic representatives of our people, we distance ourselves from their threats. The DSS boss and his team are doing a nice job and we stand in solidarity with them.”

In countering the allegations leveled against Bichi and the DSS, the group insisted that as the number one security agency saddled with the responsibility of ensuring national security, the DSS has always acted in an ethical and professional manner while conducting its operations, adding that those trying to blackmail the DSS are agents of corrupt entities bent on jeopardising Nigeria’s national security.

The statement added: “As a security agency, the DSS maintains international best practices. Detaining individuals for security reasons is a routine and standard practice everywhere. The DSS has always protected the rights of those in custody and there has never been a case of human right abuses against the DSS. There are also protocols before releasing some persons DSS may be required to follow. This does not in any way amount to disregarding court orders. Those calling for the sack of Bichi are just disgruntled elements seeking to evade justice.”

The group urged the public to disregard the antics of fake CSOs working for the embattled former Governor of the CBN, Emefiele who the group said had been sponsoring spurious media campaigns to blackmail security agents and divert their attention from prosecuting him for his excesses while in office.

“The excitement that greeted the arrest of the suspended CBN governor by the ordinary citizens points to the ills he melted on the people that resulted in several deaths using the instrumentality of the office he occupied. It is hilarious that the cronies of Emefiele would launch a smear campaign against the DSS and expect Nigerians to buy in,” the group noted.

• Judgment in Enugu governorship favours him

Fireworks are expected today at the Kaduna Governorship Tribunal as Governor Uba Sani moves to terminate the petition of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Mohammed Ashiru Isa, against his election.

The tribunal, on Monday, last week set today to hear the latest motion by the governor’s legal team led by former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Bayo Ojo, SAN, to end proceedings in the petition, based on the latest pronouncement of the Court of Appeal.

The principle of stare decisis, a Latin term that means “let the decision stand” or “to stand by things decided” makes it compelling for lower courts to line behind decisions of superior courts.

Read Also: Open letter to Governor Uba Sani

To this end, decisions of the two appellate courts; Court of Appeal and Supreme Court, are binding on election petition tribunals, where facts in cases are similar.

 Sani is calling for an end to the last petition standing against his victory, by pointing to the July 18,  judgment of the Court of Appeal in the case of the All Progressives Congress (APC), against Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, knocked off at the preliminary stage due to a fatal error by the petitioners, in applying for the crucial pre-hearing notice.

The Supreme Court had held in many instances that either premature or late filing of the all-important Notice, would deem the petition abandoned and terminable.

The unanimous judgment of the three-man panel headed by Justice Olubunmi Oyewole held that the appeal brought by APC’s Uche Nnaji against the dismissal of his petition at the preliminary stage wasn’t meritorious because the filing of the pre-hearing Notice out of time, had dealt the entire petition a fatal blow.

Sani said the three justices holding the petition had become abandoned by the reason of the late filing of the said Notice, adding that Justice K.M Akano-led Enugu Governorship Tribunal was right under the law, to dismiss the petition in the course of proceedings.

Oyewole in his lead judgment held that “as found by the trial Tribunal, the application for the issuance of pre-hearing notice filed by the Appellants on June 6, 2023, prior to the service of the final pleading in the petition on all the parties, was incompetent.

“Election proceedings are sui generis and the stipulated procedure must be scrupulously complied with, otherwise a defaulting Petitioner or party would only have himself to blame.

“The moment the Appellants failed to activate the issuance of pre-hearing notice within the stipulated period, they had abandoned their petition and there was nothing before the trial Tribunal upon which it could adjudicate any further.

“This is different from objections contemplated by Paragraph 12 (5) of the First Schedule, Section 132 (7) of the Electoral Act and 285 (8) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) in respect of which ruling would be delivered along with the final judgement.”

Oyewole went ahead to allude to Justice Olatokunbo Kekere-Ekun, now a senior Justice of the Supreme Court, in the case of Azudibia V INEC (2008) 4 LRECN 705 at 126  where she said, “a process filed prematurely is a mere piece of paper without any legal consequence.”

Armed with the very consequential judgment, Sani is asking the Justice Victor Oviawie-led Tribunal to revisit his earlier motion during the pre-hearing stage, that Isa and PDP had abandoned their petition and be dismissed.

Another pre-hearing motion from the governor also called for the dismissal of the petition for being filed out of time.

While the PDP petition bore official imprints of being filed at 11:45pm on the last day allowed by the extant laws, 9th of April, 2023, both the computer-generated payment evidence for the filing and the receipt issued by the Tribunal secretariat, bore 10th April, 2023, showing the petition was filed out of time.

Both receipts, showing N14,300 paid, had the name of Mr. Samuel Atung, a Silk.

Pleading an early end, Chief Ojo said “The nature of the application argued is such that could bring this Petition to an end. The Court of Appeal has recently terminated a petition based on an application that is on all fours with the one already argued by the 2nd Respondent (Sani).

In the motion referenced by the governor’s legal team, the Tribunal had said ruling would be taken alongside the final judgement in the Petition.

The APC team is contending that the latest Court of Appeal judgement had declared such wait, unnecessary, with Justice Oyewole saying an abandoned petition can be terminated at any point in the proceedings and could be suo moto, done, by the Tribunal.

In the Motion for dismissal, Chief Ojo, argued that the petition, having suffered incurable procedural error, is deemed abandoned by laws guiding petition adjudication.

He cited several legal authorities in his written address, especially decided cases of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal, to show the petitioners had procedurally defaulted.

In Maku v Sule, the Supreme Court held that petitioners cannot file pre-hearing notice, either prematurely or out of time.

Where this happens, the apex court’s position is that the entire petition should be dismissed.

“In a long line of cases, it has been stated, restated and reiterated what the consequence of not applying for the issuance of Form TF007 would portend and that is the dismissal of the petition” the court had ruled.

PDP and Isa however kicked, insisting that they applied for pre-trial on 26th May, 2023 and not 16th May, 2023, adding that a competent application for the issuance of pre-hearing notice, was made.

The response, taken out by S.K Musa, SAN, said the application for dismissal, “proceeds from an erroneous assumption that the application for pre-hearing of 16th May, 2023, is the only application made by the petitioners, without considering that there was a subsequent application made at the close of proceedings.”

Relying on the established precedents, Chief Ojo however, drew the attention of the Tribunal to the petitioners’ defence, as an attempt to correct the anomaly in their filings, which according to him, also failed to regularise the defective procedure they adopted.

In the further and better affidavit, the governor’s legal team leader said: “The application dated 26th May 2023 being an attempt by the petitioners to re-open pleadings is still invalid, as there was no application or an attempt to withdraw the application dated 16 May, 2023.

“Whichever way, there is no competent application for the issuance of a pre-hearing information sheet, placed validly before this Tribunal.

“The petitioners are under an obligation to apply for the issuance of a pre-hearing information sheet within seven days after the 30th day of May, 2023.

“We submit from the judicial authorities related thereto that the sole meaning that is derivable from the provision of paragraph 18 of the First Schedule to the Electoral Act, 2022 is that the application for the issuance of the pre-hearing notice can only be made upon the close of pleadings and not earlier or before.”

An educationist, Mr. Sam Israel, has called on workers to have a retirement plan while still in service to avoid the difficulties of retirement.

 Speaking at the 40th post-graduation of the Class of 83, Government College Keffi Old Boys Association (KOBA), in Jos, the state capital, Mr. Israel, who is the Secretary-General of KOBA, expressed concerns that some of the retirees had become beggars after they left service.

 He said with the biting economic situation, there was the need for them to engage in one business or the other, as well as be employers to keep one engaged.

 The National Chairman, KOBA Class of 83 of the institution, Prof. Maikano Mohammed Ari, was excited at the career progression of the members and assured that they were ready to give back to the school where a solid foundation was laid for them.

 He said it was also an avenue to mingle and assist those who are in need among them to support them as well as find ways of assisting our classmates.

 A Manager with Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPCL), Mohammed Igashi, the Sadauki of Keana, called on members to be their brothers’ keepers, adding that those that have gone higher, should carry the weaker ones along.

According to him, many years after leaving the institution, “we feel that we need to get together and see ourselves again. We lost over 76 of our members out of the 340, the largest set Nigeria has ever produced in a single secondary.

Brig-Gen. Alwaki Kazir (rtd), who is also among the set, expressed joy over the event, saying many of them had not seen it since passing out of the school. He urged members to enhance the transformation of the school, by bringing back Keffi as a business venture.

The Benue State Assets Recovery Committee has recovered 48 vehicles from the immediate past administration of Samuel Ortom.

Speaking with The Nation, its Chairman, Hinga Biem, said of this number three were tractors.

  He stated that of the number, five persons returned their vehicles while demand notice had been given to 36 public officers to appear before the Committee.

He said they had decided to go after some vehicles because the last administration illegally disposed of them without following laid down rules.

 “Let’s take for instance the Governor of Benue State has a  number of vehicles on his convoy , while it is right to go with his official and back up vehicles, it is questionable why he will also go with  escort, press crew, ambulance  and security vehicles , which ordinarily belong to the pool,” said Biem.

 On claims that the vehicles towed away from an automobile workshop belong to certain individuals who brought them for repairs, Biem said: “Let such individuals should come forward with their vehicles particulars, the security agencies shall cross check and return it  to the lawful owners .

 “However, let me add that some of the vehicles had their chassis number removed and so they need to also explain to security agents.’’

On the allegations making rounds that two vehicles were missing, the chairman said no vehicle was missing, “because before we moved any vehicle the person we meet in any premises, house or workshop, they must sign our inventory book.

The Nation also gathered from a member of the Assets Recover Committee that a bullet proof BMW Governor’s official car stationed at Benue Liaison office Abuja, worth N3billion was sold off at  N3milloin.

On  those claiming  that their vehicles were given waiver, he said: “We are going to look at the rules  because when government allocates a vehicle to  you , you paid certain amount out of your salary and at the end of your tenure or service year, if you don’t  complete payment , out of your emolument, the balance would be  deducted.’’

According to Biem,  a senior public servant bought a 2023 Toyota Hilux after the election and claimed that he was given a waiver,  but ‘’we said no, this is not correct the vehicle must be returned.

He appealed to the people to support Governor Hyacinth Alia, as he means well for the state and that soon, they would reap the dividends of democracy.

Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello has received more People’s Democratic Party (PDP) defectors into the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the struggle for the Lugard House intensifies.

The defectors, led by Mr A. K. Salihu, a former two-term House of Representatives member, Mr Udu Malik, former caretaker chairman of Okehi Local Government Area, are from Okehi LGA of the state.

 The group, in a statement yesterday in Lokoja by Bello’s Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Mr Onogwu Mohammed, expressed their support for the APC Governorship Candidate, Alhaji Usman Ododo’s victory in the November 11 election.

 The delegation also had Mr Haruna Yusuf, who served as the Aide De-camp to former Edo governor, Adams Oshiomhole, and had contested for House of Representatives election under the PDP.

Also included is Mr Austin Ochu, the former PDP spokesman for Kogi Central Senatorial District.

Salihu praised Bello for his efforts, particularly in securing the lives.

He said their decision to align with the APC was a testament to its people-oriented policies and internal democracy that exists in the party as well as providing critical infrastructure to the citizens.

The group assured the governor of their support for Ododo and their commitment to securing victory for the APC in the upcoming election.

Bello commended them for joining the APC and expressed confidence that their support would be an icing on the cake for the APC’s victory in the November election.

The governor assured them of equal opportunities within the party, emphasising that the election would be about the state’s future.

Bello urged the group to campaign across the three senatorial districts to ensure victory for Ododo.