The Nation Newspaper

Tag: FG

  • Absence of judge stalls hearing in Sanusi’s suit against FG

    Absence of judge stalls hearing in Sanusi’s suit against FG

    The absence of Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday stalled hearing in the suit filed by suspended CBN Governor, Malam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.

    Sanusi had, through his lead counsel, Mr Kola Awodein (SAN), challenged his suspension by President Goodluck Jonathan and prayed for an order to re-instate him as CBN Governor.

    At the hearing of the case on Wednesday, Justice Kolawole was not in court and an official informed the parties and counsel that the judge was attending a seminar.

    All parties and counsel were asked to come back to court on March 19.

    It will be recalled that on Feb. 27, Kolawole, ruled in Sanusi’s motion ex-parte seeking an interlocutory injunction from the court for a reversal of the president’s decision.

    “I feel hesitant and constrained to grant the plaintiff’s application because it would be unfair to grant such an application without affording the respondents a hearing.

    “It is unsafe, judicially speaking, to embark on far-reaching interim orders which have all the attributes of a mandatory

    injunction without according the defendants a hearing,’’ he said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) also recalls that Sanusi had on Feb. 24, approached the court with a motion ex-parte seeking an interim order against the President, Attorney-General and their agents.

    He had prayed the court to restrain the defendants from “obstructing, disturbing, stopping or preventing him in any manner whatsoever, from performing the functions as Governor of the Central Bank’’.

    Sanusi had also sought to be allowed to fully enjoy the statutory powers and privileges attached to the office, arguing that any delay might cause him irreparable and serious damages.

    The plaintiff’s motion was supported by a nine-paragraph affidavit and two exhibits attached and marked as Exhibit AA1 and AA2.

    Exhibit AA1 is a copy of his appointment letter dated June 2009, titled: “Appointment as Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria’’.

    Exhibit AA2 is his suspension letter dated Feb. 19, 2014 from the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, titled “Suspension from office’’, the subject of the suit.

     

  • FG spent N110bn on tertiary education in 3 years – Minister

    FG spent N110bn on tertiary education in 3 years – Minister

    The Supervising Minister of Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, said on Tuesday that the Federal Government spent N110 billion through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) between 2011 and 2013.

    Wike made the announcement in Enugu at a Stakeholders’ Town Hall meeting on TETFUND interventions in tertiary institutions in the South East.

    The minister said that a breakdown of the expenditure showed that government spent N30 billion in 2011, N35 billion in 2012 and N45 billion in 2013.

    He said that each university in the South East Zone got three billion naira under the high impact intervention on infrastructure development.

    The minister said that each polytechnic and college of education received two billion naira and one billion naira, respectively.

    Wike expressed his dismay that many state and Federal Government-owned tertiary institutions did not access the fund for their development.

    “We have N50 billion not accessed in the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) lying fallow in various commercial banks.’’

    The minister said the town hall meeting was borne out of the prolonged strike of the Academic Staff Union of Universities and to also brief stakeholders on investment in the education sector.

    He expressed the willingness of the Federal Government to provide quality education for the people.

    The Acting Executive Secretary of TETFUND, Malam Aliyu Na’iya, spoke on the activities of the company.

    Na’iya said that it was established to provide support for the development of tertiary institutions in infrastructure, library, system development, training and research.

    He said that the company never awarded contracts on behalf of the institutions but supervised the implementation of contracts.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that representatives of each tertiary institution took turns to present reports of funds they received.

  • No plan to increase price of petrol – Alison-Madueke

    No plan to increase price of petrol – Alison-Madueke

    The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, in Abuja on Tuesday said that the Federal Government had no plan to increase the pump price of petrol.

    Alison-Madueke said this at the 2014 budget defence of the ministry and its parastatals before the House of Representatives Committees on Petroleum Resources (Upstream and Downstream) and Gas.

    According to her, there is a strange rumour that the Ministry of Petroleum Resources is going to announce an increase in the pump price of petrol.

    “I said categorically that we have no plan to increase the pump price of petrol anytime in the near future,’’ she said.

    She noted that the development had only helped to instigate hoarding and diversion of petroleum products.

    The minister said the ministry would flood the country with petroleum products next week.

    “It was quite obvious that there was a hitch in supplies about a week ago and that had been remedied now,’’ he said.

    She warned that any filling station caught in the diversion of petrol, be it private or government-owned would be sanctioned accordingly.

    The minister, who decried inadequate funding of the ministry, said that it was the intention of the ministry to consolidate on its achievements in spite of the challenges.

    “We will continue to bring quality investments to the petroleum sector,’’ she said.

    Meanwhile, the Chairman, House Committee on Petroleum Resources Upstream, Rep. Muraina Ajibola (PDP-Oyo), has urged the minister to ensure that petrol is available to Nigerians.

    On his part, Dakuku Peterside (APC-Rivers) said that the ministry required enough funding because of its importance to the country’s economy.

    He enjoined the minister to judiciously utilise the little allocated to the ministry.

    The sum of N61.9 billion was proposed by the ministry and its parastatals in the 2014 budget.

     

     

  • FG to introduce feeding in schools

    FG to introduce feeding in schools

    To address the problem of malnutrition among children, especially those of school age, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has proposed the introduction of school feeding as a pilot scheme in Sokoto State and the Federal Capital Territory in the 2014 budget.

    This was disclosed by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, while presenting a performance review of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)-funded intervention programmes and projects of the Ministry between 2011 and 2013, as well as proposals for 2014 under the ministry’s proposed appropriation to the House of Representatives Committee on MDGs.

    The Minister noted that almost one out of every six children born in Nigeria die before the age of five, adding that malnutrition is a major cause of mortality and morbidity among children under five years, as well as pregnant women.

    Adesina stated that in addition to being a major cause of mortality and morbidity among children and vulnerable women, extreme poverty and hunger are also silent mental capacity killers among children, as an underfed and malnourished child finds it much harder to learn than his well-fed counterpart.

    Indicating that the ministry has achieved the MDGs number one goal of reducing by 50 per cent by 2015 the number of Nigerians exposed to hunger and extreme poverty well ahead of target, the Minister listed key intervention areas of the ministry within the period under review.

    He argued that agriculture is three to four times a more efficient tool for reducing hunger and extreme poverty than any other form of government intervention, as smallholder farmers account for about 75 per cent of the rural population where poverty is most acute.

    Among the measures and projects the ministry undertook between 2011 and 2013 to achieve MDGs goals within the Agricultural Transformation Agenda, he said, are development of vitamin-embedded cassava varieties.

    The special cassava varieties, he said, were being distributed to smallholder farmers in key cassava-growing States all over the country.

    Adesina also pointed out that the ministry also embarked on development and distribution of orange-feed sweet potato varieties, including the training of 6,000 youths to multiply planting materials for farmers.

    While giving a performance assessment of the Ministry’s MDGs-funded intervention projects, which he said were at a weighted average completion level of 65 per cent, the minister said N4.0 billion was proposed for MDGs projects in 2013 with N2.1 billion actually released.

    He said whatever the amount the ministry will receive in the 2014 budget year, a major target of the ministry’s intervention will be to raise the number of women farmers with access to Government’s growth enhancement support (GES) from 600, 000 in 2013 to 1.5 million this year.

    The House Committee on MDGs gave its endorsement of the Ministry’s MDGs programmes and projects.

    The Committee also called for closer collaboration between the committee and the ministry to ensure the attainment of the key targets of MDGs by the 2015.

  • FG approves new e-passport fees

    The Federal Government on Thursday in Abuja announced major reforms and costs in all the categories of the Nigerian e-passport.

    The reforms are contained in a statement signed by the Comptroller-General of Nigeria Immigration Service, Mr David Parradang.

    The statement stated that the approval was conveyed to the service in a letter dated Feb. 5, 2014, from the Ministry of Interior.

    According to the statement, with the approval of the new fees and categories of e-passport, a 64-page frequent travellers passport would be obtained at N20, 000.

    It also said that passports for 18 to 60 year-olds would go for N15, 000 while those for people below 18 years as well as 60 years and above would be procured at N8, 750.

    Also approved, the statement said, was the charge for change of data/lost passport which would cost N20, 000.

    Similarly, change of names due to marriage, divorce and death of spouse would be effected at N8, 750 while change of data on request would attract N30, 000 as processing fees.

    It listed advantages of the reform to include gender friendliness and care for the young and the aged.

    “The reform also accommodates frequent travellers, forestalls identity theft and conforms to international best practice,’’ it said.

    The statement also said that the effective date for the new passport would be announced soon.

  • APC urges FG to come clean on reasons for fuel scarcity

    APC urges FG to come clean on reasons for fuel scarcity

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged the federal government to level up with Nigerians on the reasons for the ongoing debilitating fuel scarcity that has further compounded the pains inflicted on the citizens by an incompetent government.

    In a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the fact that the scarcity has persisted has put a lie to the government’s well-worn line that the long queues at filling stations were caused by panic buying.

    It said the queues that have been witnessed in Lagos and other major cities in recent days are the longest and the most chaotic in Nigeria in recent years, and have shown that the situation is not just due to panic buying but a consequence of a more serious problem.

    ”The truth is that ordinary Nigerians are suffering the consequences of the runway corruption in our country’s oil sector, much as the government would want the citizens to believe otherwise. With huge funds unaccounted for by the NNPC, the so-called subsidy shrouded in secrecy and those who robbed the nation blind under the guise of fuel subsidy walking free, it was just a matter of time for the country to witness the kind of scarcity that has now grounded socio-economic activities across the land.

    ”We know that this Federal Government lacks credibility and has consistently lied to Nigerians on various issues affecting them, and we urge it to come clean for once on the reasons for this fuel scarcity and also step up efforts to end it.

    ”Coming at a time that power supply is at the worst and Nigerians rely on their electricity generators to stave off darkness and heat, it is downright cruel and totally inexplicable that the government would compound the monumental suffering of the people by its inability to provide fuel which they need to power their generators. Furthermore, hapless commuters are paying exorbitant fares to move from one point to another,” APC said.

    The party said a government that has been touting uninterrupted supply of fuel as an achievement, even when that is the least that the people expect from their government, has now lost perhaps the main feather in its cap due to massive corruption, dwindling resources due to unprecedented looting of the commonwealth and blatant incompetence.

    “These are the factors that have made it impossible for the government to issue, on time, the approvals to oil marketers to bring in the much-needed fuel, revive the nation’s refineries or even build new ones.

    “The implication is that Nigerians should brace up for more fuel scarcity in the weeks and months ahead, even if the current one is resolved one way or another,” it said.

     

     

  • Court orders FG to pay civil servant N10m for forcible eviction

    Court orders FG to pay civil servant N10m for forcible eviction

    The Federal Government has been ordered to pay N10 million compensation to a civil servant, Mrs. Olamide Ogungbe, for unlawfully evicting her from staff quarters.

    Trial judge, Justice Okon Abang, while ordering her reinstatement on the property located at 5A, Sasegbon Street, GRA, Ikeja, nullified the sale of the said property.

    Justice Abang ordered that Ogungbe be given possession of what is on the land, if the original structure has been demolished, just as he ordered that anyone occupying the land be ejected.

    The claimant had dragged the Minister of Works and Urban Development; Implementation Committee on Alienation of Federal Government Landed Property and the Attorney-General of the Federation to court in a N100million suit for forcibly ejecting her from her staff quarters in April 2010.

    She claimed that she was first allocated a three-bedroom apartment at 18B, Ladoke Akintola Street, GRA, Ikeja, but later applied for a change of official quarters which was approved in January 2005.

    She claimed that over 30 armed soldiers invaded the house, held her and her children hostage for 12 hours, and forcibly ejected them.

    “The defendants subsequently demolished the house and in the process I lost N1 million and other valuables I kept in the house,” she said.

    According to the claimant, the government ejected her without adequate notice, adding that she was not given right of first refusal over the property before it was sold to a third party.

    The government, in ejecting the claimant, averred that anyone whose allocation letter came after April 1, 2004 was not entitled to right of first refusal.

    It said because Ogungbe’s allocation letter was dated January 31, 2005, she was disqualified as a legal sitting tenant, adding that the guidelines did not provide for exchange of quarters.

    Delivering judgment, Justice Abang said the plaintiff had been in the government quarters before April 1, 2004, and had lived there since 1992.

    He said if the tenant was still leaving in Ladoke Akintola Street, she would not have been affected by the claim that her allocation letter to a new apartment disqualified her.

    “Her change of accommodation cannot make her lose her status as a legal tenant. She only applied to be given a new place to suit her status.

    “The action of the second defendant is distasteful and was done in bad faith. It ought not to have received payment of N66million for the property and should have offered the plaintiff the right of first refusal.

    “The action of the second defendant was oppressive, high-handed and depicts gross abuse of powers

    “No proper notice to quit the premises was served on her.

    “Her self-esteem was lowered in the eyes of the public. She was disgraced and thoroughly humiliated after 25 years of service, as if we’re in a country where there’s no law and order.

    “The action of the first and second defendants was without reasonable and probable cause,” the judge said.

    Justice Abang said the rule of law must remain the guide of all persons in the country, describing the ejection as “distasteful and reckless” and depicting “gross indiscipline.”

    “It’s reprehensible to the extreme and shows gross disrespect to the rule of law,” the judge said.

    He directed the respondents to comply with the housing guideline by offering the claimant the right of first refusal on the property’s purchase and further awarded N230,000 to Mrs. Ogungbe being cost of transporting her properties from Ikeja to Shagamu after her ejection.

  • Forceful eviction: Court awards N10m against FG

    The Federal Government has been ordered to pay N10 million compensation to a civil servant, Mrs. Olamide Ogungbe, for unlawfully evicting her from a staff quarters.

    Trial judge, Justice Okon Abang while ordering her reinstatement on the property located at 5A, Sasegbon Street, GRA, Ikeja, nullified the sale of the said property.

    Justice Abang ordered that Ogungbe be given possession of what is on the land, if the original structure has been demolished, just as he ordered that anyone occupying the land be ejected.

    The claimant had dragged the Minister of Works and Urban Development; Implementation Committee on Alienation of Federal Government Landed Property and the Attorney-General of the Federation to court in a N100million suit for forcefully ejecting her from her staff quarters in April 2010.

    She claimed that she was first allocated a three-bedroom apartment at 18B, Ladoke Akintola Street, GRA, Ikeja, but later applied for a change of official quarters which was approved in January 2005.

    She claimed that over 30 armed soldiers invaded the house, held her and her children hostage for 12 hours, and forcefully ejected them.

    “The defendants subsequently demolished the house and in the process I lost N1 million and other valuables I kept in the house,” she said.

    According to the claimant, the government ejected her without adequate notice, adding that she was not given right of first refusal over the property before it was sold to a third party.

    The government in ejecting the claimant averred that anyone whose allocation letter came after April 1, 2004 was not entitled to right of first refusal.

    It said because Ogungbe’s allocation letter was dated January 31, 2005, she was disqualified as a legal sitting tenant, adding that the guidelines did not provide for exchange of quarters.

    Delivering judgment, Justice Abang said the plaintiff had been in government quarters before April 1, 2004, and had lived there since 1992.

    He said if the tenant was still leaving in Ladoke Akintola Street, she would not have been affected by the claim that her allocation letter to a new apartment disqualified her.

    “Her change of accommodation cannot make her lose her status as a legal tenant. She only applied to be given a new place to suit her status.

    “The action of the second defendant is distasteful and was done in bad faith. It ought not to have received payment of N66million for the property and should have offered the plaintiff the right of first refusal.

    “The action of the second defendant was oppressive, high-handed and depicts gross abuse of powers

    “No proper notice to quit the premises was served on her.

    “Her self-esteem was lowered in the eyes of the public. She was disgraced and thoroughly humiliated, after 25 years of service, as if we’re in a country where there’s no law and order.

    “The action of the first and second defendants was without reasonable and probable cause,” the judge said.

     

  • Yobe killings: You’re chasing shadows, Atiku tells FG

    Yobe killings: You’re chasing shadows, Atiku tells FG

    Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said that efforts being made by the Federal Government and the security agencies in the fight against the Boko Haram insurgency appear to be ineffective.

    Atiku was reacting to the killing on Tuesday of about 40 pupils of the Federal Government College, Buni Yadi, in Gujiba Local Government Area of Yobe State

    It was the latest in the sect’s chain of bloody attacks on soft targets in recent times.

    The heavily armed attackers were reported to have stormed the school’s hostels in a predawn attack that lasted a few hours, leaving tears, blood and anguish in their tail.

    The statement said in part: “All the Federal Government had been doing about addressing the security situation in the North-east region of the country amounts to mere chasing of shadows if school walls cannot be protected from armed attacks.

    “This will not be the first time in recent times that school children are being attacked, and it is particularly disheartening that the Federal Government is yet to devise a strategy of keeping our schools safe from terror attacks.

    “If our counter-insurgency strategies are not strong enough to keep our children safe inside their schools, then one must wonder if such a strategy isn’t mere chasing of shadows.

    Atiku was said to have been particularly miffed by a statement made by President Goodluck Jonathan at his Monday’s Presidential Media Chat; to the effect that the government had been successful at pushing armed attacks to the fringes of the country.

    “It is important that the Federal Government upped its counter-insurgency strategy and desist from taking credits in pushing armed attacks to the fringes, as the president would like to put it. No Nigerian’s life is less in value to another,” the former vice president stated.

    He added that it was imperative for government to ensure security in schools, particularly Federal Government Colleges because of what he described as their unique role in forging national unity among pupils from diverse backgrounds in the country.

    A statement released by his media office, said Atiku broke down in tears when he was informed of the killing of the pupils.

    “My heartfelt condolences go to families of the slain school pupils. It is unfortunate that innocent school children become victims of armed attacks,” he moaned.

     

  • CENTENARY CELEBRATION: FG erects music stage on Abuja Stadium pitch

    CENTENARY CELEBRATION: FG erects music stage on Abuja Stadium pitch

    There are strong indications that the over N100 million spent in re-grassing the Abuja National Stadium may be washed down the drains, if Sportinglife findings at the 60,000 seater stadium which was constructed in 2003 is anything to go by.

    When Sportinglife visited the stadium on Wednesday,a massive musical stage was seen constructed on the dying grass. It was indeed a sorry sight to see a stadium which was once described as one of the best in Africa, in such state.

    According to our source, the Federal Government moved the Centenary musical concert that would be staged to mark the 100 years of Nigeria’s existence as a country, to the multi- million dollar Abuja National Stadium.

    The musical concert which is part of the series of activities lined up to mark 100 years of the amalgamation of the Southern and Northern Protectorates is expected to last for a month.

    Those who spoke to us at the stadium said the concert would be performed on the pitch. They were of the opinion that with the large movement of people on the pitch, the huge amount spent on re-grassing the pitch would be in vain.

    When contacted, the Special Assistant to the Honourable Minister of Sports, on Media and Strategy, Julius Ogunro said the construction works would have no effect on the pitch. Quoting his words, the spokesman said “before the construction of those musical stands, we studied the effect the the monument would have on the grass. It was discovered that such a job would not have any negative effect on the grass. The Director of Facilities worked alongside Julius Berger PLC, the construction company that was vested with the responsibility of maintaining the pitch for the next one year, and it was resolved that the pitch could be used for such an activity. Moreover, the musical concert is only for one day, that is, 27th of February, and the stands would be removed immediately” . He also said that before the approval to use the pitch was granted, that the programmes of the NFF were studied, and it was discovered that no football match would be in the country between now and end of February.

    It would be recalled that in re-grassing of the Abuja National Stadium, the National Sports Commission (NSC) spent over N100 million, including the money spent in organizing the “official re-commissioning” of the pitch.