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Tag: reverses

  • FG reverses suspension of NWDC DG

    The Federal Government yesterday reversed the recent suspension of the Director General of the National Women Development Centre, Mrs. Mary Ikpere Eta by the centre’s Governing Board.

    The Permanent Secretary (General Services Office) in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation,Mr. Olusegun A. Adekunle, directed Mrs.Eta to resume work on Monday.

    He reminded  Boards of Agencies that their duty is all about   providing  ”general policy guidelines and frameworks, and not to interfere with the day to day management of the Agencies.”

    He added:”The Boards and Chief Executive Officers are all appointed by Mr. President, according to stated terms and conditions with clearly established rules and procedures for subjecting Chief Executive Officers to disciplinary measures including suspension from office.  In this respect, this process has not been followed.

    “Consequently, Government directs the reversal of the suspension of Mrs. Mary Ikpere Eta as the Director-General.  She is accordingly directed to resume her duties immediately at the National Women Development Centre.

    “Government believes in due process, and will not tolerate any arbitrary action taken by any Board of any Federal Government Agency.”

    The government also warned the boards to maintain government’s  position on sittings and  Non-Interference.

    In a separate statement,the  Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr.Boss Mustapha, urged the boards to adhere strictly to extant regulations and directives of the Federal Government on frequency of sittings and non- interference in the administrative routines and management of the agencies.

    The SGF warned that any Managing Director that flouts the directives will bear the costs,according to the Director  of Information in the Office of Secretary to the Government of the Federation,Mr. Lawrence Ojabo.

  • LASU reverses increased acceptance fee

    LASU reverses increased acceptance fee

    The Lagos State University (LASU) has reduced the acceptance fee for new students from N20,000 to N10,000.

    President of Lagos State University Students Union (LASU-SU) Adeyemi Onikoro told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Lagos.

    Onikoro said the university authority updated its website and advised new students to pay N10, 000.

    “From our investigation, new students have started paying the N10, 000,’’ he said.

    Last month, LASU authorities increased the acceptance fee for new students from N10,000 to N20,000 and indigeneship fee from N1,000 to N5,000.

    But the LASU-SU demanded a reversal to prevent students’ unrest.

    Onikoro said while the acceptance fee was reverted, the indigeneship fee was yet to be reversed.

    He said the union was still negotiating with the university management on reversal of the indigeneship fee.

    “The implication of a refusal by the management is that Lagos State indigenes will be paying more than non-indigenes in their state-owned university,’’ he said.

    According to Onikoro, the indigeneship fee must also be reversed so that it would not escalate into community rancour.

    “This is not an issue affecting students alone but the National Association of Lagos Indigenes Students (NALIS) and the Lagos State traditional rulers will also seek redress,’’ he said.

    Onikoro hailed the management’s effort in reversing the acceptance fee, and urged it to reverse the indigeneship fee also.

     

  • Appeal Court reverses sack of Kogi council chairmen

    The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has set aside the judgment of a Kogi High Court, which nullified the election of the council chairmen and councillors.

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had appealed the High Court’s decision.

    It joined the All Progressives Congress (APC), the state government, the Attorney-General, the state’s Independent Electoral Commission (KGSIEC), Abraham Olaniran, David Apeh, Haruna Ibrahim, Ahmed Samari and Amoka Suberu, as respondents.

    The appellate court, presided over by Justice Mohammed Mustapha, resolved the three issues for determination in the appellant’s favour.

    He said: “The judgment of the Kogi State High Court, sitting in Koton Karfe, delivered on December 8, 2014, is hereby set aside.”

    The PDP, among others, prayed the court to determine whether or not the judge was right to have nullified the election of the local government chairman and councillors when they were not parties to the action before him.

    In 2008, the state government appointed Olaniran, Apeh, Ibrahim, Samari and Suberu as members of the KGSIEC.

    On March 20, 2013, APC filed an action challenging KGSIEC’s composition on the grounds that its members were not qualified as chairman and members of the electoral body.

    APC argued that the KGSIEC members were partisan members of the PDP, adding that since the commission ought to be an impartial arbiter, its members should not belong to any party.

    Although the PDP said the KGSIEC members had resigned from the party, the lower court held that the actions they took were invalid.

    Dissatisfied, the PDP appealed the judgment but the appellate court held that the judge was wrong to have nullified the composition of KGSIEC. It also held that APC’s suit at the High Court was statute-barred.

    “On the whole, it is the considered opinion of this court that the judge erred in granting orders that affected the interest of persons, who were not parties to the case.

    “The orders cannot stand by reason of the fact that such orders are null and void. This issue too, for that reason, is accordingly resolved in favour of the appellant, and against the respondents.

    “Having resolved all the three issues for determination in favour of the appellant and against the respondents, the appeal succeeds perforce, and it is allowed,” Justice Mustapha held.

    Two other justices on the panel concurred with the judgment delivered on October 23.

    Justice Moore Adumein said: “For the comprehensive reasons given by my learned brother, I allow this appeal.”

    Justice Tani Hassan said: “I agree with the reason and conclusion in the lead judgment…”

  • Supreme Court reverses death sentence on father of five convicted of armed robbery

    Supreme Court reverses death sentence on father of five convicted of armed robbery

    The Supreme Court has reversed the death sentence earlier given to a father of five, Alhaji Musa Sani.

    Sani was convicted for armed robbery by a Katsina State High Court. The decision was upheld by the Court of Appeal.

    Sani and his co-convict, Ifanye Amah, were accused of robbing the victim of N940,000 and other items, including a computer set, two cameras and three mobile phones in Katsina on May 28, 2008.

    In a unanimous judgment by a five-man panel, the apex court discharged and acquitted Sani whose conviction and sentence by the Katsina High Court were upheld by the Court of Appeal.

    The Supreme Court, in the lead judgment by Justice Muhammad Muntaka-Coomassie, held that the police failed woefully in their investigation of the case, giving rise to doubt on whether the armed robbery operation actually took place.

    The apex court added that the trial judge ought to have discharged and acquitted Sani and his co-accused having, in his findings, admitted that the police failed to investigate Sani’s  alibi.

    Sani had insisted that he knew nothing about the alleged armed robbery as he was at Lunar Hotel, Katsina at about 2.30am to 3.00am on the day the offence was said to have been committed.

    Sani and his co-accused pleaded not guilty to the charge when they were arraigned before the Katsina High Court on June 8, 2009.

    They were charged under section 1(2) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act Cap R11, Laws of the Federation 2004, which provides death sentence for a proven case of armed robbery.

    In the lead judgment yesterday, Justice Muntaka-Coomasie faulted the decisions of the trial court and the Court of Appeal.

    “I have closely and carefully looked at the issues for determination as distilled by the parties in this appeal. I have also thought over the position of the prosecution.

    “It is a fact that can never be altered that the prosecution failed woefully to establish any ingredient of the offence of armed robbery.

    “It is clear that there is no credible evidence coming from the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses to show that an armed robbery has taken place on the charge put to both accused persons – Alhaji Musa Sani and Ifenya Amah.

    “The appellant herein (Sani) put up a defence of alibi and provided addresses, date and time. However, the police failed woefully to investigate the truth of the appellant’s plea.

    “Police merely did not believe the appellant and they relied on the so-called eyewitnesses to dismiss the plea of alibi, while in actual fact there is no iota of doubt that the police refused to conduct any investigation at Lunar Hotel, Katsina.

    “The conviction and sentence dished out on the appellant are hereby set aside and in their place the appellant is acquitted and discharged forthwith,” Justice Muntaka-Coomasie said.

    Justices Bode Rhodes-Vivour, Nwali Ngwuta, Clara Ogunbiyi and Kumai Akaahs, who were on the panel, agreed with Justice Muntaka-Coomasie’s opinion.

     

  • Supreme Court reverses self in Jonathan’s constitution amendment case

    Supreme Court reverses self in Jonathan’s constitution amendment case

    The Supreme Court has reversed itself in the case initiated for  President Goodluck Jonathan by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Mohammed Adoke (SAN), to stop the National Assembly from overriding the President’s veto of the  Fourth Alteration Bill for the amendment of the Constitution.

    The apex court, had on May 7, after ordering parties in the suit to maintain status quo, adjourned further hearing to June 18 after the expiration of the tenure of the seventh National Assembly.

    The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mahmud Mohammed, who led a seven-member panel on May 7, ruled that: “Meanwhile, pending the hearing of the parties on  June 18, status quo shall be maintained in the matter. In other words, no further steps shall be taken to alter the current position of the subject matter of the suit by the defendants or the plaintiff.”

    But it was learnt yesterday that the Supreme Court has rescheduled hearing in the case for May 25, a decision, it was further learnt, was informed by a request contained in a fresh application by the lawyer to the National Assembly, Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN).

    Awomolo, it was gathered, requested that the case be relisted for hearing before the expiration of the tenure of the current National Assembly. The Supreme Court will on Monday hear the fresh application filed by Awomolo.

    A copy of the new hearing notice sighted reads: “Take notice that the above motion will be listed for hearing before the Supreme Court of Nigeria sitting at Abuja on Monday, May 25.

    “And further take notice that in accordance with Order 2 Rule 1(2) of the Supreme Court Rules 1985, as amended, this notice is deemed sufficiently served on you if it is left at your address for service or sent by registered post and since the date of service by post is material, section 26 of the Interpretation Act, 1c64 shall apply.”

    Awomolo wants the apex court to discharge the order for status quo made on May 7 which barred the lawmakers from overriding the president’s veto. He also wants the court to dismiss the originating summons filed by the AGF.

    He hinged his request on the grounds that the originating summons datedApril  22  “is incompetent, fundamentally and incurably defective and thereby robs the Supreme Court of its jurisdiction;” that “there is no known or reasonable cause of action disclosed in the originating summons to ground jurisdiction of the Supreme Court,” and that “the originating summons filed by the plaintiff is an improper and or reckless invocation of the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.”

    He further argued that the AGF was not competent to invoke the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court under the Supreme Court (additional jurisdiction) Act.

    On why the court should grant his application, Awomolo argued that the National Assembly was inaugurated on June 6, 2011 for a term of four years and that the four years lifespan of the seventh National Assembly will terminate on June 6 and the case would therefore become a mere academic exercise.

    He said it was in the interest of justice and the good people of Nigeria that the suit be promptly heard and determined.

  • Fed Govt reverses UNILAG name change

    Fed Govt reverses UNILAG name change

    The Chairman, Governing Council of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Prof. Jerry Gana, has hailed President Goodluck Jonathan for retaining the name of the institution.

    The former Minister of Information spoke in Abuja yesterday during his inauguration alongside three others.

    Jonathan, in a broadcast to mark the 2012 Democracy Day renamed the University of Lagos as Moshood Abiola University.

    The name change has been the subject of litigation and protests from students and alumni of the institution.

    A court recently ruled that the change was illegal.

    Gana said the president had upheld the Constitution by reversing the change of name of the university.

    “This is a pointer to the fact that the current administration is committed to entrenching democracy and justice in the country.”

    Gana, who was responding on behalf of the four councils, said they would ensure that the universities’ communities settled down in peace.

    “I assure you that we will do our best to be fair, just and honourable in the discharge of our duties.”

    He also promised effective leadership with integrity, honour and justice.

    Gana said members would work according to the rules governing the institutions.

    He thanked Jonathan for the appointments and said they would put in their best as Nigerians deserved nothing less.

    The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Education, Senator Uche Chukwumerijie said the lawmakers’ job had been made easier by the appointments.

    Chukwumerijie said the committee’s oversight visits to the institutions had identified lack of leadership by the absence of governing councils and the quality of members of the boards as challenges facing the institutions.

    He said the Federal Government had by the appointments taken care of the issues.

    “There are councils for those that did not have and the members who have been appointed are men and women of proven integrity and experience in academics.”

    The lawmaker described the appointees as round pegs in round holes and the right captains in the ship.

    Chukwumerijie urged the councils to immediately tackle falling standards of education, corruption, cultism and many ills that had continued to affect the development of education.

    The Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, Prof. Julius Okojie, said no university could function effectively without a governing council.

    Okojie urged government to consider training and retreat for members to enable them to keep abreast of global best practices in university administration.

    He also advocated financial autonomy for universities in the country.

    The other governing councils inaugurated by the Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufa’I, were for the University of Benin, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife and Michael Opara University of Agriculture, Umudike.

    Their Chairmen are Senator Bob Dickson, Prof. Rowland Ndoma-Egba and Prof. Anya O.Anya .

    Prof Rufa’ I, who inaugurated the 20-member governing council of the universities said: “Government has therefore meticulously searched out and appointed these men and women of proven integrity, who have made impact on various areas of human endeavour.

    “The education sector is at present beset with some challenges which have incapacitated the sector from achieving its set goals within the record time. These challenges include inadequate human resources and physical infrastructure, poor management of funds, general insecurity, examination malpractice, unstable academic calendar, inadequate space for the teeming population seeking admission into tertiary institution, decline in academic standard as well as many others which have impacted negatively on the development of tertiary education in Nigerian.

    “Governing council members should take note that their appointments are not a means for self aggrandisement and self enrichment but a call to service to humanity. Council should not be lured to turn the award of “Honorary Degrees” or “Fellows” to chieftaincy title affairs.”