The Nation Newspaper

Tag: State of Emergency

  • State of Emergency will restore law, order in Rivers – APC

    State of Emergency will restore law, order in Rivers – APC

    The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has applauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s decision and action on the political crisis rocking Rivers state.

    The National Secretary of the party, Senator Ajibola Bashiru, when contacted to react on the State of Emergency declared on Tuesday night on the Niger Delta state said the President’s action would help restore law and order in the state.

    Bashiru noted Rivers was already becoming a failed State with negative consequences on residents.

    The APC scribe said: “It is a welcome positive decision from President Bola Tinubu to restore law and order to Rivers State which was already becoming a failed state with negative consequences in the citizens of the state.

    Read Also: PROFILE: Meet new Rivers Sole Administrator Vice Admiral Ibas

    “It is disheartening that both the executive and legislative arms of Rivers state have abdicated their constitutional responsibilities of securing welfare and security of the people of Rivers state in the quest for fight to finish political brigandage.”

    The party advised the Osun Governor, Ademola Adeleke to handle the reinstatement of local government officials by the court or face similar measures meted out to Rivers state.

    Counselling Adeleke, the ruling party said: “It is hoped that Osun Governor take a cue from this development and allow the court reinstated local government councils to operate as otherwise state of emergency may also be apposite”

  • Effect of state of emergency proclamation

    Effect of state of emergency proclamation

    Itse Sagay

    Arising from the current crisis in Rivers State, many of the protagonists on one side have been calling on the President to declare a state of emergency. Although the motive of those calling for a state of emergency in that state has not been expressed, the impression being created is that somehow the governor will either be removed or suspended by the President during the existence of such a state of emergency.

    The circumstances under which a state of emergency can be proclaimed in a state can be found in Section 305 of the Constitution, particularly subsections (3(c), (d) and (e)), for our present purposes. They provide as follows thus: “(3)(c) There is actual breakdown of public order and public safety in the Federation or any part of such extent as to require extraordinary measures to restore peace and security. (d)There is a clear and present danger of an actual breakdown of public order and public safety in the Federation or any part thereof requiring extraordinary measures to avert such danger. (e) There is an occurrence or imminent danger or the occurrence of any disaster or national calamity affecting the community or a section of the community of the Federation.”

    A careful perusal of sections 11 and 305 of the Constitution shows that the proclamation of a state of emergency is as concerned with a national calamity involving destruction of infrastructure and life-sustaining facilities as it is with political unrest which threatens safety and stability in any Nigerian territory.

    The process of proclamation of a state of emergency is very significant and deserves a brief consideration. Any such proclamation by the President must be confirmed within two days by a resolution of the National Assembly if it is in session or within 10 days when the National Assembly is not in session, otherwise, the proclamation of emergency will lapse. In other words, confirmation by the National Assembly of a proclamation of emergency by the President is necessary for the proclamation to be sustained.

    Contrary to the impression being created by those calling for a state of emergency in Rivers State, such a proclamation can have no effect on a governor’s tenure in office. Section 305 does not make provision for the powers to be exercised by the President and National Assembly in a state under a proclamation of a state of emergency. For this provision, there is need to go to Section 11 of the Constitution: “The National Assembly may make laws for the Federation or any part thereof with respect to the maintenance and securing of public safety and public order and providing, maintaining and securing of such supplies and services as may be designated by the National Assembly as essential supplies and services.”

    Read Also: Gunmen shoots one, abduct travellers in Ogun

    Clearly, the aim is to bring succour to a community or communities in distress, not to assume governance over a state. For example, when a proclamation of emergency over Bornu State was made by President Jonathan, it was intended to give impetus to the Federal Government to fight Boko Haram in Borno State. That is exactly what happened and the Government of Borno State remained in place and in fact cooperated with the Federal Government’s intensive war against Boko Haram. The proclamation is more concerned with ending a dangerous situation rather than taking over a government.

    The proclamation could also be made in order to involve the Federal Government in bringing succour to people in territories affected by flood, fire, earthquake, etc. Nigerians are too focused on political matters and thus have a narrow and very wrong view of the purpose and scope of proclamations of States of emergency.

    Thus, the proclamation of a state of emergency does not necessarily paralyse the organs of that state, i.e., prevent the State House of Assembly or the governor from continuing to carry out their normal duties.  According to Section 11(2): “(2) Nothing in this section shall preclude a House of Assembly from making laws with respect to the matters referred to in this section, including the provision for maintenance and securing of such supplies and services as may be designated by the National Assembly as essential supplies and services.”

    However, the National Assembly may take over the functions of the State House of Assembly during a state of emergency. “At any time when a State House of Assembly of a State is unable to perform its functions, by reason of the situation prevailing in that State until such time as that State House of Assembly is able to resume its function.” Even this is a temporary measure.

    However, under no circumstances, will the proclamation of a state of emergency affect the position of a Governor in office. The proviso to Section 11(4) expressly declares as follows: “Provided that nothing in this Section shall be construed as conferring on the National Assembly power to remove the Governor or the Deputy Governor of the State from the office”.

    On the contrary, a governor, with the concurrence of the State House of Assembly is empowered under Section 305 (4) to actually invite the President to issue a proclamation of a state of emergency in his own State. “When there is existent within the State any situation specified in sub-section 3(c), (d) and (e) of this Section, and such a situation does not extend beyond the boundaries of the state”.

    So, what exactly happens when a state of emergency is proclaimed?  This is clearly stated in Section 11(1) of the Constitution which has already been quoted above, i.e., the power to make laws with respect to the maintenance and securing of public safety and public order and providing, maintaining and securing of such supplies and services as may be designated by National Assembly as essential supplies and services. Emphasis here, therefore, is for the provision of essential supplies and services for the troubled state and not the taking over of the state’s government by the President.

    It is, therefore, clear that there has been a huge departure from the law and culture of the First Republic (1960 – 1966) where the Constitution made provision for the suspension of the governor or Regional House of Assembly during the existence of a state of emergency. (See Section 65 of the 1960 Constitution, the Emergency Powers Act 1961 and the Emergency Regulations made under it which gave the Prime Minister totalitarian powers over the affected states).

    Indeed, the special proviso in Section 11(4) of the Constitution barring the removal or suspension of a governor during the proclamation of a state of emergency is based on a deliberate intention to avoid the mistake of the First Republic which led to a crisis which eventually could not be contained.

    The suspension of the governors of Ekiti State and Plateau State by President Olusegun Obasanjo, during his tenure as the President between 1999 and 2007, was clearly illegal. Thankfully, this aberration by President Obasanjo was corrected by a better-informed President Goodluck Jonathan, when a state of emergency was proclaimed over Borno State during his tenure as the President.

    Openly admitted quite rightly that he had no powers under the present Constitution to suspend a state governor, who was democratically elected as himself, under any circumstances. Thus, Obasanjo’s aberration was thus eliminated.

    It is, therefore, important for those who are calling for a proclamation of a state of emergency in Rivers State to realise that a governor cannot be removed or suspended under our present Constitution and the constitutional democracy we are presently operating.

    •Sagay is an eminent professor of law and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN)

  • Declare a state of emergency now!

    Declare a state of emergency now!

    An open letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR; President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. 

    Dear Mr. President,

    May I begin by wishing you a happy Ramadan in advance hoping that the spiritual exercise would reenergize and further equip you for the onerous task of leading Africa’s greatest nation, unifying the West African bloc and charting a course for the general advancement and respectability of Africa in the comity of nations.

    Your Excellency, hunger, anger, and hyperinflation have made a time bomb of Nigerians. On every nook and cranny of the country, there is palpable tension, frustration, and confusion on the way forward in the face of unprecedented suffering. The signs of a dangerous crescendo building up are too ominous, too scary, and the momentum too ferocious. The consequences would be dire for our country, democratic experience, and political elites. You must, therefore, move to preempt the break out of any protest in the magnitude of #EndSARS.  

    This is because the buck stops on your table. History is already recording this moment in your name, but it can end differently with pragmatic corrective measures thoughtfully conceived, dutifully analysed, and implemented with the most patriotic attention to details. This is your call. Our duty is to highlight areas that demand urgent remedial measures, and so I make bold to suggest the following areas that require a declaration of a state of emergency:

    ON THE ECONOMY

    Even in advanced countries where power supply is stable and taken for granted, their people enjoy some form of subsidy or the other. Nigeria ought not to be the exception, especially considering that most households and firms generate their power supply. Fuel subsidy was the only social welfare program of government that was guaranteed to trickle down to every last person in the country. It had a profound and direct impact on the welfare and job creation potential of even the poorest Nigerian. Its sudden and uncoordinated removal has unleashed a most fearsome and debilitating austerity on the people.

    I am aware that abuses, dubious and corrupt activities associated with the fuel subsidy program elicited patriotic calls for its abrogation, however its implementation ought not to have been hurried nor the consequences of its removal not planned for. I must concede that what has been done has been done. But, the strategic importance of fuel price to the economy can not be overemphasised, as it affects and is affected by the exchange rate. The price of goods and other costs of living that have skyrocketed to the high heavens are a direct consequence of high prices of petroleum products in an era of exchange rate deregulation. 

    Read Also: Declare state of emergency on security, PFN tells Tinubu

    Therefore, it must be said that the government’s twin policy of simultaneously floating the exchange rate and removing fuel subsidy is the key that has unlocked the Pandora box of hyperinflation and extreme suffering in the land. The government should, therefore, work with Dangote Refinery, Port Harcourt Refinery,  Kaduna Refinery, and Modular Refineries to deliberately bring down drastically price fuel within a specific time frame. We can not continue with the present pricing, except you actually want to kill all Nigerians. 

    The foreign exchange crisis which has further exacerbated the run away inflation we are witnessing in the country, is the consequence of a lack of confidence in our currency the naira and unregulated demand for our scarce foreign earnings. 

    While the government is working on diversifying and improving the foreign exchange earning capacity of the country, it would be unproductive to hinge the value of our currency on the raw forces of demand and supply without also working on reducing the pressure on available stock of foreign exchange. 

    Our currency is our sovereignty, and the shocking and massive devaluation that your policy brought on it should be revisited with remedial policy recalibration as follows:

    a. Proscribe all businesses and individuals operating in Nigeria from transacting in foreign currencies. For instance, when NIMASA and NPA transact with Nigerians and corporate entities in foreign currency, they diminish confidence in the naira. No matter the value, all charges should be in naira. 

    b. All exports, both oil and non-oil exports, should be properly documented, and the proceeds repatriated via a designated account with the CBN. The exporters should only be entitled to the proceeds in our local currency, the naira.

    c. The government must revisit the owners and operators of oil wells in Nigeria, with a view to ensuring that the proceeds of businesses are repatriated through CBN designated accounts. 

    d. All Nigerian registered businesses should be barred from holding their board meetings outside the country, while it should be mandatory for them to declare their dividends in the currency of the host country, Nigeria. 

    f. The dream of chasing a unified exchange rate is a mirage. The CBN should be mandated to stop the chase and instead work out a practical policy that will give Nigeria a realistic exchange rate. 

    Uncontrolled and unrestricted demand for all forms of imports, tangible and intangible, places a huge pressure on our scarce foreign earnings. This is detrimental to the economy and a disincentive to local production, employment, and stability of a realistic foreign exchange value for our currency. Access to foreign currency must be managed and not be free for all affairs. We must control via the Federal Ministry for Education clearance for overseas education. Nigerian students should not be cleared to study in foreign universities where such courses are available in Nigerian universities, except they are on foreign scholarships or if parents of applicants show verifiable evidence of overseas earnings (not foreign account balances).

    Students who were not cleared by the Ministry for Education should not be allowed to participate in the NYSC program on their return to the country, with all the employment and political consequences that come with such a ban. 

    Medical tourism is another area that puts pressure on our scarce foreign earnings. The Federal Ministry for Health should be the final approval authority for medical treatments abroad, provided the medical issue under review can not be handled by any facility in Nigeria. 

    Basic Travel Allowance (BTA) should be allowed only once in five years. Business Travel Allowance must be approved by the Ministry for Trade, which shall review the purpose and the benefits of such travels to the economy of this country. 

    We have a serious economic crisis on our hands, and we need to think out of the box to stay afloat. Trade treaties and agreements with other countries must be revisited and reviewed in favour of Nigeria. The following items, though not exhaustive, should be placed on ban, viz: 

    1. Used and second-hand vehicles and tires 

    2. Second hand clothes and shoes 

    3. Imported cement and tiles 

    4. Imported toothpick and toothpaste 

    5. Meat and processed fish 

    6. Imported palm oli, palm kennel, margarine, and rice

    7. Soap and cosmetics

    8. Plastic and rubber products 

    9. Tomatoes and tomatoes paste 

    10. Eurobonds and foreign currency bonds

    11. Share purchases

    Our fragile foreign exchange system earning should not be left open to invasion by speculators who add nothing to the foreign exchange ecosystem. Therefore, all cryptocurrency platforms must be proscribed forthwith. 

    WAR ON CORRUPTION 

    Your Excellency, I appreciate your sterling efforts towards streamlining the operations and transparency of the CBN. May I plead that you should extend the investigation to cover the years 2008 to 2023. 

    Similarly, a forensic audit of the NNPC from 2008-2023 should be carried out. The panel that audited the NDDC should be compelled to publish its report, or in the alternative, a new panel should be empowered to carry out a more thorough and dispassionate audit of that body from 2008-2023. Our banks and their chief executive officers should be investigated from 2008-2023, particularly as it concerns the integrity of their letter of credit and other foreign exchange transactions. 

    All pending EFCC and ICPC cases from 2008-2023 should be brought up for prosecution irrespective of who is involved. 

    Mr. President, our political class must show empathy to the masses who are at the receiving end of unfavourable government policies and current economic crisis. Presently, their loud ostentation is insensitive to the plight of the suffering masses. Secondly, their invasive and overbearing attitude in the running of agencies of government under the guise of oversight functions leaves much to be desired. This needs to be proactively checked. 

    Your Excellency, may I close by saying that Nigeria is ripe for a return to the Parliamentary system of government or a remodelled Presidential system with a unicameral legislature, where ministers will be appointed therefrom. The savings from our present overbloated system would be redirected to more productive investments in the economy. Therefore, it goes without saying that the 2014 Conference report should be revisited and modalities for restructuring the country set in motion, with a view to reinvigorating and firing up the survival instincts of the federating units. 

    Mr. President, the realities on the ground are dire, a state of emergency is inevitable and urgently needed in all critical sectors of Nigeria. The time to act is now.

    I thank you for your time. 

    Chief Edet Nkpubre, FCA, Ikpoto Oro.

    Urue Offong Oruko 

    Akwa Ibom State.

  • Kidnappings: ‘Declare State of Emergency in Katsina’

    A member of Governor Aminu Bello Masari’s Cabinet and Special Adviser to the Governor on Higher Education, Muhammad Bashir Ruwangodiya, on Saturday called on President Muhammadu Buhari to declare a State of Emergency in Katsina State, to address squarely the menace of growing insecurity, kidnappings and other related criminality in the state.

    Ruwangodiya who made the above declaration during an exclusive interview with a select group of journalists from The Nation and Channels Television, decried the lack of synergy amongst security forces, poor motivation of personnel and the rivalry between the Military and the Nigerian Police Force especially on funding security operations code named ‘’Puff Adder’’ in the 8 frontline local government areas bordering Zamfara state.

    He said ’’what is presently happening to our dear Katsina state should be of serious concern to all. A situation where villages and communities are ransacked and set ablaze at will and sometimes repeatedly, citizens are kidnapped with huge ransom demanded on them and people running here and there to source money to pay and living in perpetual fear, demands urgent and prompt action from Mr President.

    ‘’In kasai village in Basari for instance ,the bandits attacked the village three times, with the Police and security operatives remaining helpless and couldn’t secure the people and no lesson or preventive measures taken.

    ‘’In Kankara ,after the Police mopped up arms from the village, the bandits struck and destroyed lives and properties, with the police doing nothing even after receiving early warning signals.”

    The Former Civil Right Activist further described the present security situation in the state as having Political underpinnings, pointing at the kidnap incident in Daura involving the In-law of the President as a direct affront on the President to see what he can do as the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces.

    He said‘’ the criminals and their sponsors will be saying now that we have punched the President, let’s see what he can do. It has been happening previously away from him and no serious action elicited now that his own family is attacked let’s see what he can do.

    ‘’These attacks has political underpinnings designed to incite fear, hatred and reproach on the President to cause the people that held him in awe to turn around and reject him.”

    He called on the federal government to declare a state of emergency and direct the Chief of Army Staff to relocate to Katsina and stay there until sanity is restored, adding that the state government has made enormous contributions in support of security operations in the state, but no result to show for the efforts of Government.

  • …cleric urges FG to declare state-of-emergency

    The Chief Imam of Al-Furqan Mosque in Kano, Dr Bashir Omar, has urged the Federal Government to declare state-of-emergency in Zamfara State to address incessant kidnappings and killing of innocent citizens.

    He made the call in his sermon during prayers in the mosque on Friday.

    Omar said that the call was necessary in order to check the wanton killings currently going on in the state.

    “The wanton killings and kidnappings can only be stopped through the introduction of State-of-Emergency by the Federal Government.

    “The people of Zamfara State deserve pity and all forms of compassion to enjoy a peaceful living because the pogrom has consumed many lives with almost no end in sight.

    “This is not the first time I am calling on the Federal Government to declare a State-of-Emergency in the state to end the killings,” he said.

    According to him, the perpetrators of the dastardly acts are made to have a field day in the absence of punitive measures on ground to checkmate such despicable atrocities.

    The cleric stressed the need for the government to match its words with action on how to end the disturbing spate of criminal banditry in the state.

    He stated that kidnapping innocent citizens on the highways and other secluded areas had become a money-spinning business.

    “Only those who lack absolute fear of Allah turned kidnapping as a business hence our decision to call for the imposition of emergency rule to put the abduction kingpins out of business.”

  • Yari supports ‘State of Emergency’ in Zamfara

    Gov. Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara on Thursday threw his weights behind the call on President Muhammadu Buhari to declare a state of emergency on the state.

    The governor Yari, addressing newsmen at a press briefing in Gusau, said, “I am also in support of the declaration of a state of emergency if it will save the lives of people of the state.”

    He warned politicians against politicising the disturbing security situation in the state.

    “We are talking about the lives of our people and this needs the coming together of all so that the crisis can end.

    “If the provisions of my office had allowed me to carry arms against the bandits, l would have done so.

    “But, if I am not around, there are capable hands that collaborate with the security team in the fight against the bandits.

    “The securitymen are doing their best.

    “But, it is sad to know that some of the people involved in the kidnappings are close relatives or associates of the victims, which is part of the reasons the problem is persisting.

    “We must all come together and expose anyone or group that is part of these hoodlums, and we should also pray for Allah’s intervention,” Yari said.

    Bandits had continued to elude security measures put in place by both the State and Federal Governments. (NAN)

  • Ekpo: No room for state of emergency in Akwa Ibom

    The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom State, Obong Paul Ekpo, attributes the crisis that engulfed the House of Assembly to the alleged overbearing attitude of All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders.

    The statement signed by Mr. Ini Okopido demanding that the President should declare a state of emergency in Akwa Ibom state and remove the democratically elected government of Governor Udom Emmanuel is a testimony to the veracity of our earlier announced intelligence relating to the motive of the APC in instigating violence in our state. We had mentioned that information available to us was to the effect that the chieftains of the APC are planning to instigate violent disruptions of the wheels of governance and provoke the civilian populace to react in like manner, so as to stimulate their call for the declaration of a state of emergency immediately or the rescheduling of elections in Akwa Ibom state. The APC and her chieftains have always boasted of their total reliance on federal might, which they see as their only highway to power. Having found Akwa Ibom as a very peaceful state and with no tangible reason for increased deployment of security forces to the state, the APC and their conspirators( both indigenous and exogenous) had mapped out plans to instigate crisis in different areas of the state. This plan is not new to us, as we are aware of every step of their plans and will continue to alert the public.

    On the invasion of the House of Assembly and the complicity of the Nigerian Police, it is important to state that the constitution of the country which is the operational code for all public and private persons, is clear on the steps expected of a presiding officer of any parliament, when a member of the parliament defects without any lawful justification. In our case, the Speaker of the State Assembly, we have been reliably informed had applied restraint in the declaration of the seats of the law makers until they approached the courts and judgement was given against one of the law makers and the rest teamed up with him in pursuit of an unlawful course, of attempting to prevent the House of Assembly from undertaking its legal responsibilities. It is common knowledge that as at the time the speaker acted in declaring the seats of the former members vacant, there was no subsisting injunction or legal impediment restraining him or any other person from acting in that direction. It is therefore not in doubt that the declaration of the vacancy of seats of the former members was, is and remains constitutional, lawful, legal and extant and there is nothing the APC can do about it. To compare the Akwa Ibom example with that of the National Assembly or any other assembly for that matter, is completely untenable and infantile. Juristic persons are accountable to the law and the donors of their mandate. How they choose to execute the demands of their office within the ambit of law is their prerogative. There is no valid excuse in law that since parliament A has undertaken an illegal act, or accommodated the commission of illegality, that parliament B is bound to do same.

    We were not shocked to read the chairman accuse the Governor of not being sound in mind. It is in their character to engage in gutter banter and mud bath, which is very alien to us and our clime. But if public perception is to serve as the guide, the  people who orchestrated and infact shamelessly recognized three former lawmakers who claimed to have sat and impeached a speaker, are those whom the citizenry want their mental health urgently examined. This attention must critically examine not just their intelligence quotient, but their moral quotient. The public has over the time witnessed the presence of unquenchable greed and the absence of basic intelligence and common sense in these characters, who have now congregated themselves into the APC, in a desperate conspiracy to grab power at all cost and by all means. We will be advocating that INEC should make psychiatric examination a precondition for holding executive positions in political parties. This will help to check the incursion of clothed deranged persons into the political turf.

    We call on our supporters to remain calm even in the face of unprovoked aggression by the war-minded members of the opposition. We call on security agencies to conduct their duties professionally, without political leanings.

    We commend the Speaker of the aakwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Barr. Onofiok Luke for his maturity in handling these provocations; the remaining 20 members of the House of Assembly deserve special commendation for their courage and strength of character.

    The cynosure of good governance in Nigeria, Governor Udom Emmanuel has exhibited great restraint and maturity in the handling of the many issues that arose alongside the well choreographed and instigated crisis that was visited upon the state parliament by the APC. We know that Akwa Ibom people will continue to invest their future in the leadership of Governor Udom Emmanuel, conscious of the huge benefits that have accrued in the past three years and the others which are enroute.

    We call on the federal government to ignore the ill-informed demand for the declaration of a state of emergency by the APC and instead concentrate her efforts in fighting insurgents and the protection of our soldiers and other security forces, who are fighting to protect our sovereignty.

    We join the very popular demand for the redeployment of the APC-sent Commissioner of Police, Mr. Kimo whose duty in Akwa Ibom had finished with the police backed desecration of the sanctity of the House of Assembly. We appeal to the Inspector General of Police to post to our state a thoroughbred professional as Commissioner of a police to assist in the maintenance of law and order.

    We are certain that when the elections are over, everyone will join us in the victory song “Yahweh”.

     

  • Buhari declares state of emergency on water, sanitation

    •’Nigeria ranks second in global open defecation’

    Nigeria cannot afford to allow water borne diseases to keep decimating its population, President Muhammadu Buhari has said.

    The President, who stated this while inaugurating National Action Plan for Revitalisation of Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Sector at the State House, has, therefore, declared a state of emergency on water supply, sanitation and hygiene sector.

    He decried the country’s No. 2 rating in the global report on defecation, which claims that about 25 per cent of Nigeria’s population  practising open defecation.

    Buhari said the declaration has become imperative to reduce the high-prevalence of water-borne diseases in different parts of the country.

    He noted that the situation is causing preventable deaths, adding that he was aware that Nigeria did not meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)  targets for Water Supply and Sanitation that ended in 2015.

    While emphasising that the provision of potable water supply, adequate sanitation and hygiene were primarily the responsibilities of state and local governments, he directed government at all levels to redouble efforts and work towards meeting the nation’s water supply and sanitation needs.

    He said available statistics on open defecation, access to pipe borne water services and sanitation in the country ‘’were disturbing’’.

    The President warned that henceforth, the Federal Government’s support to state would be based on their commitment to the implementation of the National Action Plan for Revitalisation  of the Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Sector in their respective state and plans to end open defecation by 2025.

    He lamented: “Access to pipe-borne water services, which was 32 per  cent in 1990, has declined to seven per cent in 2015; access to improved sanitation has also decreased from 38 per  cent in 1990 to 29 per  cent in 2015.

    “Our country now ranks No 2 in the global rating on Open Defecation as about 25 per  cent of our population are practicing open defecation.

    ‘’WASH services at the rural areas are unsustainable as 46 per cent of all water schemes are non-functional, and the share of our spending on WASH sector has been declining from 0.70 per cent of the GDP in 1990 to about 0.27  per cent in 2015, which is far below the 0.70 per cent at the West African regional level.”

    He added: “However, these are not being given the required attention judging from the high prevalence of water-borne diseases that are being reported in different parts of the country.

    ‘’We cannot and will not continue to allow these preventable occurrences to decimate our population…

    ‘’I call on all state governments to complement this effort by according the sector similar recognition to enable us work together to achieve the SDG targets for WASH by 2030.”

    Buhari assured that his administration would keep placing priority on infrastructure growth, including water supply, sanitation and hygiene services towards ensuring a better life for Nigerians.

    Minister of Water Resources Suleiman Adamu said open defecation reduced the dignity of a nation and has reduced school enrollment and attendance due to loss of time in search of water and frequent episodes of water and sanitation related illnesses as well as poor access to hygiene management facilities in schools.

    Deputy Country Representative of the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) Nigeria, Pernille Ironson, who spoke on behalf of development partners on WASH, said: “The Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Federal Ministry of Environment and state governments need to work together for all Nigerians to have clean water and sanitation.”

    Presently, the WASH programme is operational in six states of Imo, Abia, Delta, Taraba, Niger and Sokoto.

     

  • Governors to declare state of emergency in education

    THE National Economic Council (NEC) is putting finishing touches to declare state of emergency in education in states of the federation.

    It is aimed at reviving the educational sector across the country,

    Ekiti State Governor Dr. Kayode Fayemi was among state governors that attended the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting.

    Fayemi was sworn in as governor on Tuesday.

    He arrived at the Council Chamber venue of the meeting around 10.54a.m

    Fayemi was the centre of attractions as he stepped into the hall being the first time he was attending the NEC meeting under the current dispensation.

    He went round the hall to greet his colleagues.

    The NEC, which comprises of the 36 state governors, ministers in the Economic Management Team, including Minister of Finance, Minister of Budget and National Planning as well as the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), will take a final decision on the proposed state of emergency in its next meeting.

    Briefing State House correspondents at the end of the NEC meeting chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Edo State Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu said the council received interim report from its Ad-hoc committee on the revival of education.

    He was with the Bauchi State Governor Abubakar Mohammed, Minister of State for Health Osagie Ehinare and Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity Laolu Akande.

    According to him, the committee recommended that “all governors to declare a state of emergency in the education sectors of their respective states and demonstrate their commitment to revamping education”.

    From the report, he said there was need for multi-frontal approach to tackle the various factors militating against the achievement of the nation’s educational objectives, in view of the multi-dimensional nature of the crisis in the sector

    The areas to be focused on, Shaibu said, included basic education, promoting adult literacy  and out of school children, reviving Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET).

    Shaibu said NEC resolved that the federal and state governments should allocate a minimum of 15 per cent of their budgets to education to revolutionalise the sector, as well as constitute special task force to manage the funds and oversee the infrastructural overhaul of selected schools for intervention across the federation.

    He also spoke on states Gross Domestic Computation (SGDP) for 11 states (2013-2017), explaining that the background of the computation was to know the sizes of the economy in each state, how much a state contribute to the economy, what sector is best to invest in a particular state and what are the key sectors that can drive growth.

    It was aimed at creating employment and generating tax revenue for the states, and which sector need government’s intervention or support.

    He noted that states GDP Computation started in 2012 with seven pilot states: Rivers, Lagos, Gombe, Cross River, Kano, Anambra and Niger states, following the expressed interests of states to measure their economic competitiveness over time, understand the structure of their economies and assess contribution to national output

    The deputy governor said analytical results of the 11 states accounted for N33.3 trillion in nominal GDP

    He said council was invited to note that National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has completed the first phase of the SGDP exercise involving 11 states for the five-year period, covering 2013-2017 across the 46 economic activities.

    The Minister of State for Health spoke on the report of the 14th meeting of the Presidential Task Force on Polio, which was presented to NEC.

    According to him, frantic efforts were being made to ensure that Nigeria is certified as a polio free nation.

    The minster also explained that the 36 State governors have committed themselves to actions at ensuring a polio free Nigeria.

  • Lagos courts in state of emergency over congestion, says CJ

    Lagos State Chief Judge (CJ), Justice Opeyemi Oke, has said the state’s courts are in a state of emergency.

    This is the fallout of the evaluation of 2,886 old case files, including a 70-year-old matter, under its Backlog Elimination Programme (BEP).

    The BEP is a programme designed to decongest the courts by re-evaluating old cases and find ways to resolve them through Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) or accelerated hearing.

    The CJ said the 70-year-old case, the oldest in the pack, is “seeking to enforce a judgment”.

    Justice Oke broke the news while opening this year’s edition of Lagos Backlog Elimination Programme, organised by the State Judiciary, BEP and Lagos Court of Arbitration (LAC) at the Foyer of the High Court of Lagos State in Igbosere.

    The CJ recalled that during her inauguration last October, she identified as foremost what she called inordinate delay and court congestion, which disfigured administration of justice and formed the bane of the state Judiciary.

    She also said it clogged her promise to redress the two problems on assumption of duty in her efforts to restore public confidence in the Judiciary and make administration of justice quick and efficient.

    Justice Oke regretted that the “delay has led to public ridicule of the Judiciary, which is supposed to be the hope of the common man”.

    She added: “This delay, coupled with the continuous filing of new cases, has led to congestion of the courts with a ridiculous number of backlog of cases. The result is that the courts are now in a state of emergency.

    “Presently, there are hundreds of cases in the court dockets that are over five years; the oldest is a 70-year-old case. This is a far cry from what can be said to be a reasonable time. Ideally, the matters ought to be concluded in weeks, months or, at most, a year. Many of these cases ought not to be in court at all as they could have been resolved through ADR.”

    Citing Section 36(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, The CJ averred that the rights to fair and reasonable timely trial before a court or tribunal is one of fundamental rights of Nigerians.

    She said this explained the need for action to be taken to redress the situation through the BEP and recourse to ADR.

    Justice Oke this was the reason the BEP was inaugurated in January – to decongest High Court of Lagos State of the mentioned old cases.

    The CJ said the first phase of the BEP would involve evaluation of old cases in batches – by volunteers from different law firms.

    She added that the volunteers were through with the first batch involving case files that were five years old and above.

    According to her, the second batch will involve case files of 10 years and above and the third batch will involve case files of 15 years and above.

    Justice Oke said work had begun on case files that were 25 years old and above.

    He said: “After evaluation, facts of each case are summarised, causes of delay identified and recommendation would be made as to efficient means of disposal, whether by ADR or accelerated hearing.”

    Giving a summary of the cases evaluated, Justice Oke averred that land matters accounted for majority of the backlog cases, followed by commercial matters – which are based on breach of contacts, debt recovery, mortgage matters, bank and customer-related disputes, matrimonial causes, probate and enforcement of judgments.

    The CJ said majority of the cases were at trial stages.

    On the possibility of settlement, she said 59.3 per cent of the cases were not suitable for ADR while 49.3 per cent were suitable for resolution through the mechanism.

    Justice Oke said the remaining 1.4 per cent were either recommended to be struck out or parties had reportedly settled matrimonial causes though settlement to ancillary reliefs could be referred to ADR.

    LCA President Yemi Candide-Johnson, who delivered a lecture, titled: Discussing the Future of Access to Justice and Delivery of Justice in Lagos State: the Role of the Courts and Backlog Elimination Programme, said indices confirmed that civil justice system was failing and that delay, especially was affecting prompt, efficient and effective justice to the users of the court.

    He added: “The goal of a global Lagos cannot be achieved unless the public has confidence in the mechanism of prompt and efficient dispute resolution and, above all, unless they trust and respect the Judiciary.

    “It is obvious that trust and respect will be lost, if there are corrupt and inefficient practices that result in delay at the courts. These are things researched and identified and analysed in ongoing BEP.”