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Tag: LAW

  • Law to regulate, control vigilantes under way in Lagos

    Law to regulate, control vigilantes under way in Lagos

    Members of the Lagos State House of Assembly is set to pass a bill to establish the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Agency for regulation and control of the vigilante corps activities into law.

    Majority Leader, Hon. Sanai Agunbiade explained that the bill is to proffer lasting solutions to the insecurity caused by cult groups, hoodlums’ crisis, riots amongst others which has led to the loss of lives and properties of citizens in the State and to serve as surveillance to the government, was sponsored by the Speaker, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa.

    He also stated that the intendment of the bill is for the corps to help the police with necessary information during investigation in order to arrest criminals with a view to having a peaceful community for the interest of the citizens of Lagos State.

    Contributing, Hon. Adefunmilayo Tejuoso affirmed that the neighbourhood corps are close to the people and they will cater for the protection of the people by giving necessary information to the police which will help in arresting any suspected culprit within the community.

    She said the provision of funding of the neighbourhood safety will make it attractive for the masses by creating job opportunities for the youths.

    Hon. Abiodun Tobun said that the bill will make policing very simple in the state while those employed in the task will know people that are coming in and going out of the community and as such will be able to pass information quickly to the police and when that is done they will do follow up to make sure the criminals are prosecuted.

    Hon. Tunde Braimoh stated that the members of the corps must be certified as non-cultist and they must reside within the community so that they will be able to take the bull by the horn.

    Hon. Olawale emphasized that the bill will compliment proper policing of the country and if they are properly insured they will perform effectively. They need to be trained effectively.

    The bill was committed to the committee on Information, strategy and security.

  • Why preaching law is a must for Kaduna

    Why preaching law is a must for Kaduna

    Kaduna State is in the cusps of an economic, social, ethical and political renaissance. It is a mission that the governor, Mallam Nasir El Rufai is fervently and feverishly committed to; and in less than one year in office, he is at the verge of meeting the set targets. But Kaduna State is a peculiar state: sentiments, particularly religious sentiments are easily amplified and often blown out of proportion, leading to very damning consequences. This is hardly surprising given the rather generous population of adherents of both Islam and Christianity in the state. This diversity, ordinarily ought to be a blessing and a strength that could easily be harnessed for the greatest good of all. However, over the years, zealots, religious contractors, extremists, crisis profiteers and unscrupulous political and community leaders have for pecuniary or political reasons, perfected the nefarious act of using religion to unnecessarily destabilize Kaduna State.

    As a child of the 70s, I recall ever so vividly growing up in both Zaria and Kaduna metro with the trauma of the several extremely acrimonious and destructive religious upheavals in our dear state. Between 1980 and 2011 alone, over 25 avoidable religious or ethnic-inspired crises led to the unfortunate loss of thousands of lives, destruction of properties worth several billions of Naira.  Some of the most unfortunate previous crises include the Kafachan riots of 1987, the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria riots of 1992, the Kaduna North/Kaduna South and Kafachan crisis of 1999, the so-called Sharia riots of 2000, another Zaria Crisis of 2001, the aborted Miss Nigeria riot of 2002 and of course the post-election riots of 2011 to name but just a few. Sadly, the ordinarily boisterous and welcoming Kaduna State eventually gained notoriety as a hotbed of sorts of religious and ethnic crises. This of course had telling effects on the economic, social and ethical well-being of the state and its long-suffering people.

    Successive administrations in Kaduna State who had contended with bloody and destructive religious riotshad at one point or the other resorted to legislations to rein in religious extremism in the state. So far, the most far reaching of the legislations remains the Regulation of Religious Preaching Edict No. 7 of 1984, which has been amended twice – in 1987 and 1996. The original 1984 Edict was promulgated by the then Military Governor of Kaduna State, Air-Commodore UsmanMuazu, on July 17, 1984 following the Maitatsine riots in some parts of Northern Nigeria at the time. The Edict provided for the mandatory licensing of preachers. It also restricted the playing of religious cassettes to homes, banned the use of abusive language against any person or religious organisation or religious leader. The Edict expressly banned the use of loudspeakers for religious purposes other than in a Church or Mosque, the abuse of religious books and the use of such expressions as “infidels,” “non-Islamic,” or “pagans” in describing other religious groups.

    The penalty for violating the 1984 Edict was two years’ imprisonment with an option of fine.

    On March 9, 1987 the then Military Governor of Kaduna State, Lt. Col. Abubakar Umar, amended the 1984 Edict and expunged the option of fine and extended the term of imprisonment upon conviction to five years.

    On November 25, 1996, Lt. Col. Hamid Ibrahim Ali, the Military Administrator of the state at the time, further amended the 1984 Edict by limiting the validity of a preaching license in Section 7 (c) of the Edict to a period not exceeding six months subject to revocation at any time.

    For the avoidance of doubt, the Religious Preaching Regulation Bill that is currently before the Kaduna State House of Assembly is just a slightly amended version of the same law that has been in existence since 1984. So, why are certain persons going about creating the wrong impression that Governor Nasir el Rufai is introducing a new religious preaching law in Kaduna State?

    Contrary to the impression some political jobbers and enemies of the state are currently creating, in revisiting this law, the Government of Kaduna State under Mallam el Rufai is not only responding to current realities in most states in northern Nigeria but also proactively nipping in the bud the possibility of Kaduna State returning to its destructive ugly past. The truth is that in spite of the dogged efforts by critics and mischievous politicians to tar Governor El Rufai with the wicked brush of religious extremism, this lie is just refusing to stick especially given that Islamic clerics have opposed the bill much more than Christian leaders. It is indeed an open secret that religious zealotry is not one of weaknesses of Nasir El Rufai.

    I have extensively studied the bill and have consulted with lawyers, my clear take on the amended Kaduna State Religious Preaching Regulation Bill is that it does not in any way abridge, threaten to abridge or violate the freedom of worship as enshrined in the constitution of our great country. On the contrary, the bill, if passed into law will establish Kaduna State as a bastion of peace and tranquility in northern Nigeria. I can attest to the fact that Mallam Nasir el Rufai, whom I have worked closely with for more than two decades, will never be part of any scheme, plot, programme or legislation targeted at abolishing, abridging or derogating the freedom of religion and religious beliefs as enshrined in the constitution of our great country.

    Mention has been repeatedly made of the supposed opposition of religious leaders in the state to this bill. The initial apprehension about the law by the clerics were largely informed by the fact that enough information was not made available to them on time. Political opponents of the governor were quick to go to town with the falsehood that a new law that would emasculate religion was in the offing. All too easily, but expectedly though, our highly regarded Islamic and Christian leaders believed this crass misinformation by ill-intentioned political jobbers and panicked. However after due explanations and with several of our religious leaders now availed of copies of the bill, they now have a better understanding. They are now aware that it is not a new law; that the bill does not in any way seek to negate or infringe on the freedom of worship; they are now aware that this law is basically aimed at deepening safety and security in Kaduna State and they are well aware that a peaceful Kaduna State would unleash the huge and enviable economic and other potentials of our great state.

    For the records, salient features of the proposed law include the establishment of an inter-faith ministerial committee to regulate the practice of the two main religions  in  the  state,  Christianity  and  Islam.  The law provides for the establishment of  a  committee of the  Jama’atu Nasril  Islam  (JNI) with equal  representation  of  the  Izala  and  Darika  religious  groups,  for  Muslims  and  another  committee  by  the  Christian  Association  of  Nigeria  (CAN). The inter-faith ministerial committee  is  expected  to  exercise  supervisory  control  over  JNI  and  CAN with a view to stemming provocative or public hate preaching hence the restriction on  the  playing  or  blaring  of  religious  recordings  outside  churches  and  mosques. Indeed under the law, a preacher may  be  jailed  for  a  period  not  exceeding  two  years  if  he  preaches  without  a  valid  licence  or  engages  in  inciting  religious  teachings  and  uses  derogatory  terms  in  describing  any  religion.  The law also stipulates that a preacher visiting  Kaduna  from  outside  the  state  is  expected  to  obtain  a  permit  to  cover  the  period  of  his  stay.  For preachers who are resident in Kaduna State, the  licence  to  preach  has  a  life  span  of  one  year  which  may  be  renewed. If the truth must be told, incessant hate and inciting preaching have for years been the main cause of religious upheaval in Kaduna State. Equally damaging has been the inciting statements credited to  some overzealous or extremist  preachers.  Indeed the matter of hateful or provocative preaching was robustly addressed during the  JNI’s  2015  annual  pre-Ramadan  conference  in June 2015  in  Kaduna  when  it  noted  that  in  spite  of  repeated  calls  by  the  Muslim  leadership,  some  scholars  still  employed divisive  comments  during  their  Tafsir  preaching  in  the  month  of  Ramadan.  According to the JNI,   “there is a growing trend of mystic doctrines expressed by some unguided extremists which are completely contradictory to  the  Islamic  faith  and  principles”. The JNI leadership was also of the view that several of the media houses that air Tafsir during Ramadan do not care to censor statements capable of destabilizing the Ummah. It was also the view of the JNI at this very important conference that negative conducts contrary to the established creed of the Islamic faith were being exhibited by some scholars in  their Tafsir  sessions.

    Indeed the JNI insists that “the  (Muslim)  leadership  should  regulate  the  conduct  of  Tafsir,  to  control  erring  commentators  and  make  it  mandatory  for  any  Mufassir  to  be  screened  and  be  given  permission  by  the  JNI  or  any  authorized  body  before  he  can  be  allowed  to  venture  into  Tafsir.”

    The position of the JNI tallies with the resolve of governor that Kaduna State should not and will no longer be the hotbed of needless religious acrimony or riots. The state seeks to harness the beauty in its diversity to strengthen social ties and bolster its economy and eventually restore the glory of the state is a bastion of peace and a pacesetter in northern Nigeria.

     

    • Sani is Special Adviser t
  • El-Rufai’s preaching law

    El-Rufai’s preaching law

    SIR: Controversies have trailed the executive bill for a Law to Substitute the Kaduna State Religious Preaching Law, 1984, sent to the Kaduna State House of Assembly by Governor Nasir El-Rufai. It sought to curb hate speeches which has been a major source of religious crisis not only in Kaduna but in the north.

    It requires a cleric to obtain a preaching permit from the state government, renewable after one year. To play any cassette containing “religious recordings in which abusive language is used against any person or religious organisation or religious leaders (past or present) is to contravene the law.

    The bill, if passed into law will prohibit sales of religious books, usage of abusive and derogatory terms in describing any religion among others.

    Many say this bill is a landmine and an ambush laid for religious worships which contains lots of unholy snippets.

    The governor needs to handle the issue with utmost care. Experiences have shown that people are driven by the sublime passion to protect their religions from laws which they think is inimical to their worship. The onus of explanation resides with government to avoid rancour. The volatility of Nigerian state, the frenzied passion for ones’ faith and lessons of religious crises must guide our resolve to religious reforms. It must be reiterated that at any given time such issues comes to the front burner like the one in Kaduna State, some religious entrepreneurs tend to rise against it. Some are germane while others are out rightly frivolous.

    This bill should have taken cognisance of the peculiarities of individual religious practices and worships. For instance, Christian religious worships go beyond time limitation. Church vigils and programmes take place even all through the night. There are worships centres built far away from residential areas. Their activities do not in any way disturb anyone. Government should have prescribed a sound-proof auditorium for those within the residential areas who wish to worship beyond 8:00pm as a protection for the right of those who may be disturbed. Consultation is one attribute of democracy. The non-inclusion or due consideration of the interests of adherents of other religions is a minus to the bill. Which law regulates their kinds of worship?  This bill should be withdrawn for the grey areas to be trashed out.

     

    Sunday Onyemaechi Eze,

    sunnyeze02@yahoo.com.

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  • Prof, 44 others held for violating Akwa Ibom sanitation law

    A University of Uyo (UNIUYO) professor and 44 others were arrested and prosecuted on Saturday by the Akwa Ibom State Government for contravening the state’s monthly sanitation.

    The sanitation holds every last Saturday of the month between 7 am and 10 am.

    The clean-up, which started last year by the Udom Emmanuel administration, was the initiative of the Commissioner for Environment, Dr Iniobong Essien.

    It is aimed at ensuring a clean environment through hygienic practices among residents.

    The 45 defaulters, who were picked up by sanitation monitoring teams within Uyo, the capital city, were charged at the Sanitation Court, chaired by Rebecca Akpan, with committing an offence under Section 4 (m), which is punishable under Section 38 of Akwa Ibom State Public Health Law, Cap 103, Volume 5 of 2000.

    The woman professor, whose name was not given to the media, was discharged and acquitted on self-recognisance.

    This followed her appeal to the mobile court that she was on her way to clean up her church after completing the sanitation at home.

    A few others, who were said to be students, were pardoned after convincing the court that they were on transit through the state and were not aware of the sanitation.

    Those who pleaded guilty were asked to pay a fine of N3,000 each. But about 20 others, who pleaded not guilty, were remanded in prison custody.

    They would be arraigned tomorrow by the government.

    A dry cleaner, Mr Aniebiet Michael, who was arrested on Oron Road at 8 am, said: “I came from church in the morning for the sanitation at my shop, off Oron Road, when I was arrested by the task force and brought to the Sanitation Court. I pleaded guilty when I saw the seriousness, and the magistrate fined me N3,000.

    “I did not have the money; so, I called my brother, who paid before the court closed at 2 pm.

    “Those who could not pay or were defiant, and pleaded not guilty – about 20 of them – were conveyed in a long bus to a prison.

    ‘’There they would stay till Tuesday, to either pay the fine – for those who were fined – or have their case against the state started – for those who pleaded not guilty.”

    Also, at the popular Uyo market, Dr Essien warned the traders to keep their stalls and shops clean or face sanctions.

    The commissioner advised them to get polythene bags to pack their waste and drop at designated points.

    He reminded them that the Emmanuel administration was determined to ensure that Akwa Ibom regained its glory as the cleanest state and its residents the cleanest.

  • Still on El-rufai’s Preaching Law

    SIR: Since the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nassir El-rufai sent a bill to the floor of the Kaduna State House of Assembly seeking to amend the Kaduna State Religious Preaching Law of 1984, several reactions have trailed that announcement. But the most disturbing reactions have come from the leaders of both faiths who are deliberately misleading their followers as to what the bill really entails.

    It is unfortunate that the same preachers who travel out of the country, see the way things are done, see how religious activities are regulated, get permits to hold crusades, are the same ones screaming blue murder and alleging persecution here, thereby deliberately inciting their followers and members towards challenging a policy that can only calm the already raging waters of religious violence in the country.

    Kaduna State has a long history of clashes and violent uprisings arising from crises that take on both political and religious faces and boil to a point where they can no longer be separated. For anyone who wants a genuine end to clashes in that state, that religious law should be a welcome development.

    Kicking against that bill might just mean that the religious leaders only appear to want an end to the crises caused by religion in the state but in actual fact, their actions speak otherwise.

    Majority of the followers alleging persecution have not even read the bill. They do not know that Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) is part of the regulatory bodies. They do not know that Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) is represented in the regulatory body.

    The religious leaders should be cautioned. Government has a responsibility to protect lives and properties and if it has identified regulation of religious activities as one of the steps that need to be taken, religious bodies should not be a hindrance to that.

    Ironically, most of the religious leaders alleging persecution and inciting their members to kick against the law have security details assigned to them. They have DSS operatives following them around. If there is a religious crisis, they would be safe while their followers who they incited to kick against a law that would protect them will be consumed.

    Every right-thinking Nigerian who has not been blinded by religious bigotry and is not a slave to the herd mentality must throw their weight behind that bill and call on the House not to allow itself to be bullied by market noises created by agents of confusion who speak with both sides of the mouth, or the next time a life is lost due to religious crisis, they should take full responsibility and realize that the blood is on their hands.

     

    James Ogunjimi,

    ogunjimijamestaiwo@gmail.com

  • I have no relationship with Metuh – Justice Abang

    I have no relationship with Metuh – Justice Abang

    *Judge replies Metuh’s petition

    The judge handling the trial of the spokesman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh has said he had neither social nor work relationship with the politician.

    Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja said he did not know Metuh during his (the judge) practice as a lawyer and while in school.

    The judge’s position is contained in his response to a petition written against him by Metuh to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta.

    Justice Abang’s response is dated March 23.

    Metuh had, in the petition written against by one of lawyers, Emeka Etiaba (SAN), claimed among others, that the judge was his classmate at the Law School in 1988 and that he last met the judge late last year at the Meridien Hotel, Akwa Ibom.

    Metuh, who said he was worried he could not get justice before the judge, accused him (Justice Abang) of bias and of deliberately refusing to release records of proceedings to enable him appeal the judge’s earlier decisions.

    The PDP spokesman, whose move is seen as attempt to scuttle his trial, is praying Justice Auta to transfer the case to another judge to commence afresh.

    Metuh and his company, Destra Investment Limited were arraigned before Justice Abang in January on a seven-count charge, in which they were accused of retaining proceeds of unlawful act and engaging in money laundering.

    The prosecution closed in February after calling eight witness. But, rather than open their defence, Metuh and his firm made a no-case submission.

    In a ruling on March 9 Justice Abnag rejected the no-case submission, on the ground that the prosecution has established a case against Metuh and his company, requiring them being called upon to enter defence.

    Rather the open his defence,Metuh, on March 11 petitioned the court’s Chief Judge, raising sundry accusations against Justice Abang and requested the transfer of the case against him to another judge.

    Lead prosecution lawyer, Sylvanus Tahir said he was not served a copy of Metuh’s petition as required.

    Justice Abang, in his response to Metuh’s petition, a copy of which The Nation sighted in Abuja, although he neither knew nor had any relationship with Metuh, it was impossible for the relationship Metuh claimed existed between them to affect the facts and laws in relation to his (Metuh’s) trial.

    “With respect to the first issue that the petitioner Emeka Etiaba (SAN) stated that the 1st defendant in Charge FHC/ABJ/CR/05/2016 was my classmate in the Nigerian Law School, my Lord, for the records, I was at the Law School in 1987/88 Academic Session.

    “I am not aware that Olisa Metuh was my classmate in the Nigerian Law School. I cannot recall seeing him in the time session in my time. In the law school, we were over 1,000 students and we had then two sessions, morning that I attended.

    “He is not from my place, Oron, in Akwa Ibom State. I did not see him as a student in University of Calabar that I attended between September 1983 till June 1987.

    “I have never met him in practice anywhere in the country before I was elevated to the bench in June 2009. Again, he claimed he met me in Le’ Mariden Uyo late last year.

    “I was not in Le’ Meriden Uyo late last year . I had no function that I attended in Le’ Meriden Uyo late last year. I did not meet him in Le’ Meriden Uyo late last year.

    “If the records show that he is a lawyer and was called to Nigerian Bar on November 3, 1988, which record I am yet to see, that cannot affect the facts and the law.

    “I attended recently my class reunion meeting in Abuja, Lagos and Enugu, I did not see Olisa Metuh in the places I mentioned. I am not related to Olisa Metuh in any way, I do not know where he comes from,” Justice Abang said.

    On Metuh’s allegation that majority of the judge’s rulings was in favour of the prosecution, Justice Abang noted that as a lawyer, Etiaba knew what option exists for a party, who is not comfortable with a court’s decision.

    “As regard the issue that I made interlocutory decisions in favour of the prosecution in the matter, my response here is simple. And that is, that I am entitled to give decisions in matters placed before me for adjudication having heard parties.

    “That is why there are appellate courts. If he is dissatisfied with those decisions, I think Emeka Etiaba (SAN) ought to know what to do.

    “As regard the alleged non-release of the record of proceedings, I think Emeka Etiaba (SAN) is not fair to me at all. I will leave him to his conscience. He has an improper motive in this regard.

    “For the records, my lord, the defendant applied for the Certified True Copy of proceedings at the time proceedings were going on from day to day. I approved same and directed my secretary to type the proceedings.

    “The proceedings were bulky in nature because I heard the case from day to day. When the secretary concluded typing the proceedings, I abandoned all other matters before me and concentrated on checking the typed proceedings to be in line with what were in the court’s records.

    “When I proof-read the proceedings and was satisfied that it represents what transpired in the open court, I endorsed same for certification and released the proceedings to them on March 15, 2016,” Justice Abang said.

    When parties were last in court on March 24, Justice Abang noted that Metuh, in addition to his petition, has applied to the judge to disqualify himself from further trying the case, raining similar issues as contained in the petition.

    The PDP spokesman has also applied to the court for an indefinite stay of proceedings pending the determination of his appeal.

    On March 24, Justice Abang adjourned to April 8 for hearing of the both applications by Metuh.

    The judge said the outcome of his rulings on the applications would determine the future of the case.

    ‎” If the application for stay of proceedings fails, the defendant will be at liberty to open is defence for the last time,” the judge said.

  • El-Rufai’s Religious Preaching Law

    SIR: The planned introduction of ‘A Bill for a Law to Substitute the Kaduna State Religious Preaching Law, 1984.’ has spread consternation throughout Kaduna State.  The Bill has generated a lot of fretfulness and upheaval. It contains sections that seek to establish committees of the two major religious bodies in the state; the Committee of Jama’atu Nasir Islam (JNI) for the Muslims and the Committee of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) for the Christians and their respective composition, and a third body called “the Inter-faith Ministerial Committee”, which shall execute regulatory control over the JNI and CAN committees.

    I am convinced that Governor Nasir El-Rufai and his cabinet’s decision to introduce this bill seem to have been marked by an unprecedented “faith” in the law to help in curbing religious bigotry and radicalization which have caused global turmoil with Nigeria greatly affected.

    In a multi-religious republic like Nigeria where members of one religious group are raised to view some other group’s beliefs or practices as wrong, mistaken, or undesirable, legislating religion is an uphill task, regardless of any intent and purpose. Discussions that bother on freedom of religion and belief are overly complex. Conflicts between citizens often arise in the interpretation and application of the law.

    As individuals, we might dispute or deny the fact that Nigeria is a country where most people find it toilsome to practice their faiths without persecution, even though religious freedom is stipulated by the extant law to be a constitutional right. Unfortunately, no courts or political leaders in Nigeria have given serious analytical attention to what counts as “Religious Freedom”.  While behind the veil of campaign some politicians make promises to protect citizens with an equal liberty of conscience but when sworn into office, they are likely to suppress solutions when it does not favor their own cultural interests and interpretation of religion, even if it is the all-time solution to the crises in a context. The jurisprudence regarding religious exemptions to generally applicable laws is clearly still in flux, providing an uneven and uncertain patchwork of protections to religious adherents. This is a governmental incompetence in need of remedy.

    Governor El-Rufai, a man who himself has been in the eye of the storm of religious issues in the past, frames his decision to pursue the passage of the bill around the excuse of state toleration of religion, as opposed to toleration in interpersonal relations.

    Regulation of religious beliefs has always generated controversy. Governor El-Rufai should know that he is flirting with an idea that might threaten public safety, peace and order. Controversy will arise when a law is generally applicable and religiously neutral but nevertheless has the accidental or unintentional effect of interfering with a particular religious practice or belief. For example, section 9 which seeks to criminalize preaching without licence, will infringe on the constitutional right of a Christian who decides to follow the biblical commandment of Jesus Christ to ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation”.  I speak as a Christian since that is where my religious knowledge lies. I have no doubt some sections might affect the constitutional rights of our Muslims populace.

    Religion is one of the few systems of belief that actually gives effect to convictions about morality and conscience. What Governor El-Rufai and his team should look into are initiatives that are balanced, between law and religion that encourage tolerance in interpersonal relations. The rights of individuals and groups have been protected by the constitution. All they need do is enforce it.

    The constitution does not deem any religion in Nigeria wrong, mistaken, or undesirable. The freedom to carry out injunctions of our chosen religions as Nigerians should be backed by some degree of government accommodation of religious practices and not to further abuse it.

     

    • David Dimas,

    Laurel, Maryland, U.S.A

  • ‘Ayade hasn’t violated any law on foreign trip’

    ‘Ayade hasn’t violated any law on foreign trip’

    Cross River State Governor Ben Ayade has not violated the constitution by travelling abroad without transmitting a letter to House of Assembly Speaker, his Chief Press Secretary, Christian Ita, said yesterday.

    Ita said the constitution mandates the governor to write to the Speaker only when he is proceeding on his annual leave or medical leave.

    “The governor is on a working visit to countries, including Canada, where he and members of the executive council are attending the biggest mining conference in the world, on the invitation of the Canadian government.

    “Under Section 190, the governor does not need to transmit any letter to the Speaker unless he is on annual leave or medical leave.

    “Under Section 193, the governor can assign his responsibility to his deputy or a commissioner whether he is on leave or not.

    ‘’The deputy governor can only act as governor when the governor is on leave or incapable and transmit the declaration in writing to the Speaker.”

    The statement urged the public to  ignore the ignorance peddled…on the issue.”

     

  • Making the Lagos ETF law work

    SIR: The signing of the Employment Trust Fund Bill into law by the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, is not only commendable and a step in the right direction, it should also serve as a template  for other states in Nigeria, especially at this time of fiscal doldrums, rising unemployment and youth restiveness across the country.

    The N25 billion Employment Trust Fund Law is designed to address the high rate of unemployment in the state through granting of soft loans to individual residents for the purpose of making them self-employed, which will in turn create wealth. These loan facilities, according to the government, range from N100 thousand to N1 million or as may be applicable in each case. The beauty of this law is that only one percent interest would be charged on the loan. Equally gratifying is the fact that this initiative would be funded by the state government through an annual budget of N6.25bn which shall be injected into the fund for the next four years. To walk his talk, the governor has also appointed a 10-man Board of Trustees to manage the fund.

    There is no gainsaying the fact that a mega city like Lagos State, with over 20 million residents deserves a programme such as this. However, genuine steps need to be taken to ensure that this noble idea does not go the way of past similar policies. Transparency and meritocracy should be deployed by the board in administering the fund. For instance, it must ensure that such sentiment as religion, tribe, gender or partisan politics do not play major roles serve as in determining eligible beneficiaries. Mechanisms must also be put in place to ensure that those who receive the loans deploy same for the purpose they obtained them for. It is recommended here that effective bio-data capturing of the beneficiaries should be ensured, while a team be set up by the board to monitor how the loans are being utilized and the result thereof. A technical team to be saddled with the responsibility of scrutinizing the proposals by the applicants and offering technical advice and/or assistance should equally be put in place.

    Similarly, efforts must be made by the Board of Trustees, in conjunction with the state government, to ensure proper and effective public awareness campaigns about the conditions and requirements for the loan facilities. This will help eliminate the issue of corruption that usually bogged down an innovation like this. The board should also, on annual basis, set a goal for itself with respect to the number of beneficiaries for the loan each year, and this should be followed up by quarterly reviews to ensure that these targets are realised.

    Effective management of the fund also entails that the state House of Assembly has a crucial role to play beyond the passage of the law. To this end, the state legislature must ensure an effective oversight on the proper utilization and disbursement of the fund. Experience has shown that the frequent “disappearance” of funds allocated for government project such as this in recent times is largely the failure of the parliamentarians to discharge their oversight function. Official bureaucracy that clogs the easy access to government scheme like this must be avoided or at best minimized. The procedures in accessing the fund should be made a bit flexible just so the essence and objectives of the Fund are not defeated.

    Every effort must be made to prevent politicians and other unscrupulous elements from hijacking this initiative. Thankfully, the composition of members of the Board of Trustees is a strong signal that the government is determined this time to avoid the errors of the past where partisanship had always clogged the progress of related policy. But more fundamentally, it is the collective efforts of critical stakeholders, including the media that would ensure the successful implementation of this programme.

     

    • Okoro Gabriel, Esq.,

    Lagos.

  • Lagos Assembly passes N662.5b 2016 Appropriation Bill into law

    Lagos Assembly passes N662.5b 2016 Appropriation Bill into law

    The 2016 Budget proposal of N662,588 billion presented to the Lagos State House of Assembly by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode  on December, 17 last year has been passed into law by the state House of Assembly.

    Presenting the report to the House, the Budget and Economic Planning Committee chairman, Hon. Rotimi Olowo thanked the Speaker of the House, members of the committee, other lawmakers as well support staff of the House, who he said worked tirelessly to ensure that the process of scrutinising the budget was accelerated.

    Also speaking, Speaker Mudashiru Obasa thanked all the members of the Budget and Economic Planning Committee for their efforts, while thanking other lawmakers and the workers of the Assembly.

    Presenting the budget to the House about two weeks ago, GovernorAmbode  pledged that his administration will not only implement the budget faithfully, but also ensure that it works in the best interest of Lagosians.

    The governor who christened the budget as The Peoples Budget said it was an improvement of 26 per cent over the budgets of 2014 and 2015 respectively which stood at N489.6 billion individually.

    “The increase will enable our government to focus on the present challenges of security, traffic gridlock resolution including physical and social infrastructural development which has thrown up new challenges quite different from what we used to experience and have always known,” he said.

    He said the budget which is the first full budget of the present administration will promote massive investment in security, transport and traffic management, physical and social infrastructural development and enhance job creation.

    He said the intention of his government is to use the budget to strategically build new infrastructure as well as maintain existing ones, adding that wealth and employment creation will also receive adequate attention in the course of the year.

    Giving a breakdown of the budget figures, Governor Ambode put recurrent expenditure at N278,909billion while capital expenditure stands at N383,678billion, explaining that the capital to recurrent ratio is 58:42 as against 51:49 in 2014 and 2015.

    He also put the total revenue estimate for 2016 fiscal year at N542.873billion saying the balance of N119.714billion will be funded through deficit financing constituting 0.41 per cent of the state gross domestic product (GDP) based on the budget alone and a cumulative debt to GDP ratio of about three per cent.