The Nation Newspaper

Tag: sworn in

  • Actor sworn-in as Commissioner in Cross River

    Actor sworn-in as Commissioner in Cross River

    Hollywood actor, Eric Anderson, has been officially sworn in as Commissioner forTourism, Culture and Heritage in Cross River State.

    Anderson, an indigene of the state, took the oath of office on Wednesday in Calabar, the state capital.

    His Special Adviser on Media and Communication, Obaji Abung-Akpet, in a statement announcing the appointment, described Anderson as one, well fitted for the position, adding that it was also remarkable that the swearing-in ceremony coincided with World Tourism Day celebration.

    Until his appointment, Anderson was Special Assistant to Cross River Government on Tourism.

    The thespian is known to have featured in some notable Nollywood films, including ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’, ‘Streets of Calabar’, and ‘One Good Man’, among others.

  • Now that Barrow is sworn in as President

    Now that Barrow is sworn in as President

    THE Gambia got a new president yesterday. Adama Barrow was sworn in as president with the support of the international community.  Yahya Jammeh refused to hand over power. Since the swearing in, the question has been what happens next?

    Barrow was sworn in neighbouring Senegal, holding a Koran as he took the oath of office at the Gambian embassy.

    The oath was administered by the Gambian Bar Association president, Sheriff Tambadou, in the presence of ambassadors from countries in the UN Security Council and key African states.

    There is little doubt that Barrow, who won last month’s election, will now be recognised internationally as The Gambia’s new head of state.

    However, it remains unclear how soon he will be able to take power in Banjul.

    West African regional grouping ECOWAS has mandated Senegal, which almost surrounds The Gambia, to lead a military intervention to install Barrow and its troops have massed on the border. Nigeria has sent aircraft and troops to Senegal, and deployed a warship.

    However, West African military sources say intervention is intended only as a last resort ifJammeh cannot be persuaded by the threat of force to stand aside. “If no political solution is found, we will step in,” Col Abdou Ndiaye, a spokesman for the Senegalese military, was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying.

    Gambia is a popular tourist destination and after the British Foreign Office updated its travel advice, holiday companies have been evacuating tourists.

    Would military intervention be legal?

    Senegal has circulated a draft resolution at the UN Security Council, seeking authorisation for an intervention but no vote has been scheduled. Some diplomats have suggested that such authorisation may not be necessary if Barrow, having assumed the presidency, requests help.

    What is Jammeh’s position?

    Jammeh tried to bolster his position earlier this week by declaring a state of emergency and engineering a parliamentary vote to extend his presidency by three months. He said these moves would prevent a power vacuum while the Supreme Court considered a legal challenge he has submitted over the election result.

    Apparently disregarding the possibility that the court could eventually rule against him, he also promised to stay in power until new elections can be held.

    Although the parliamentary vote took place while Jammeh was still officially president, regional powers are not regarding the decision as valid and are continuing with their plans to install Barrow at State House. Without this extension, Jammeh’s term ended at midnight on Thursday.

    Would military intervention succeed?

    A Senegalese-led intervention force would be expected to have more firepower than the Gambian army but it is not clear how much resistance it would face.

    The army chief is a close Jammeh loyalist but has been quoted as saying he would not risk his men’s lives in a political dispute.

    The elite regiment of the army, drawn mainly from the same ethnic group as Jammeh, is well-armed and is regarded as being fiercely loyal. However, it would be at a considerable numerical disadvantage to an intervening force.

    The loyalty of other regiments is much less certain. Correspondents say there has been talk that some are unhappy with recent events and want a peaceful resolution.

    How are the Gambian people reacting?

    Tension is high in the Gambian capital, Banjul, over concerns that the political conflict will escalate into violence. Thousands of people have fled to neighbouring countries and rural areas.

    Earlier this week, Barrow’s coalition urged Gambians to “exercise restraint, observe the rule of law and not to respond to provocation”.

    What is the dispute over the election?

    Jammeh, who seized power in a 1994 coup, initially accepted that Barrow had won the election but later reversed his position and said he would not step down.

    He filed a petition to the Supreme Court, challenging the election results, and says the existence of this legal process means it would be unconstitutional for Barrow to assume office.

    He also asked the Supreme Court for an injunction to stop the inauguration but the chief justice declined to rule on it, saying he must recuse himself from any case that could affect his own position – he would normally conduct the swearing-in ceremony.

    Jammeh said there were irregularities in the election process, including the turning away of some of his supporters from polling stations, and errors made by the electoral commission.

    The commission accepted that some of the results it initially published contained errors, but said Barrow still won.

    Retaining power would ensure he was not prosecuted in The Gambia for alleged abuses committed during his rule.

    How have his allies reacted to the crisis?

    Ministers are continuing to desert Jammeh’s government. Several ministers, and even the long-serving vice-president, have resigned in recent days.

    One of the ministers who resigned, former information chief Sheriff Bojang, said Jammeh’s arguments had a “veneer of constitutionalism” but were an attempt to subvert the will of the Gambian people. The international community says Barrow won fairly.

    The lawyer representing Jammeh and his APRC party in the election challenge has also fled to Senegal and urged the long-time leader to step aside.

    What is happening at the Supreme Court?

    Judges from Nigeria and Sierra Leone have been hired to hear the petition to overturn the election result, but they have yet to arrive in Banjul.

    Gambian chief justice Emmanuel Fagbenle has said the court will be able to convene no earlier than May, and possibly not until November, because the Nigerian who is to act as court president, Onogeme Uduma, is fully booked for the coming months.

    How might this be resolved?

    Barrow has distanced himself from comments, made by other opposition figures, suggesting Jammeh may be prosecuted over alleged abuses in power.

    He said Jammeh should be able to stay in The Gambia and would be honoured as, and receive the privileges of, a former head of state if he stepped down.

    However, analysts say Jammeh is unlikely to be persuaded by his opponent’s apparently conciliatory language.

    Another option, raised by the House of Representatives is that  Jammeh could be offered asylum and a comfortable retirement in another African country.

    Besides Nigeria, Morocco has been mooted as a possible destination (Jammeh’s wife is Moroccan).

    A third possibility has become more likely with Jammeh’s recent moves to entrench himself – that Jammeh continues to cling to power with the backing of at least some of the army, pending military intervention by regional powers.

    Timeline

    December 1, 2016: Gambians go to the polls to choose their new president from three candidates, including Jammeh, who has ruled with an iron fist for 22 years, and Barrow, representing a large opposition coalition.

    December 2, 2016: The electoral commission announces that Barrow has won, to scenes of jubilation on the streets. Jammeh concedes defeat.

    December 5: Gambian opposition leader Ousainou Darboe, who was jailed in July for taking part in a protest, is freed on bail with 18 others. In the following days some 40 members of the opposition are also freed.

    December 6: The electoral commission says Barrow won the election more narrowly than originally thought, and with a lower turnout. He garnered 43.2 percent of the vote and Jammeh 39.6 percent. A third candidate, Mama Kandeh, took 17.1 percent.

     December 9: Jammeh announces he has changed his mind and says he rejects the results “in totality”. He lodges a complaint with the Supreme Court to overturn the result. The defiance sparks global concern, with the UN Security Council among those demanding that Jammeh hand over power.

    December 13: Heads of state from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are sent to The Gambia, but are unable to convince Jammeh to acknowledge his defeat.

    December 31, Jammeh accuses ECOWAS of declaring “war”.

    January 4, 2017: The army chief reaffirms his loyalty to Jammeh.

    January 9: Jammeh dismisses 12 ambassadors after they call for him to step aside.

    January 10: The Gambia’s chief Supreme Court justice says Jammeh’s legal challenge against the result will not be heard for several months.

    January 13: The African Union (AU) urges Jammeh to respect the results and relinquish power peacefully, warning of “serious consequences”. It says it will not recognise him as of January 19.

    January 15: Senegalese President Macky Sall announces he has agreed to take in Barrow until his inauguration.

    January 16: The Gambia’s top judge pulls out of hearing a bid by Jammeh to halt the inauguration.

    January 17: Jammeh declares a state of emergency, saying foreign powers had created an “unwarranted hostile atmosphere, threatening the sovereignty, peace, security and stability of the country”.

    January 18: The Senegalese army says it is ready to intervene if there is no solution to the crisis. Gambian vice president Isatou Njie-Saidy resigns along with the environment and higher education ministers, the latest cabinet members to desert Jammeh. Nigeria and Ghana also agree to send troops. Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz travels to Banjul in an 11th-hour mediation bid.

     January 19: A midnight (0000 GMT) deadline for Jammeh to step down expires. Barrow announces he will take the oath in the Gambian embassy in Senegal at 1600 GMT. UN Security Council to vote on a draft resolution endorsing the ECOWAS effort to ensure a transfer of power in The Gambia.

  • Tutor-General sworn in

    Tutor-General sworn in

    Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode yesterday reiterated his commitment to ensure that the civil service remains one of the best  in the country.

    The governor spoke at the swearing in of Mrs. Lola Are-Adegbite as the Tutor General/ Permanent Secretary of Education District Four, at the Lagos House, Ikeja.

    Stating the smooth running of governance lies with the civil service, he said permanent secretaries have adequately carried on even in the absence of the State Executive Council.

    “The permanent secretaries have proven in the last four months that even without a cabinet, the business of government can actually be done and this is worthy of commendation,” Ambode said.

    Mrs. Are-Adegbite, born July 1, 1958, holds a B.sc in Biology from Texas-Southern University, Houston Texas, Post Graduate Diploma in Education and a Masters Degree in Education both from the University of Lagos, Akoka.

     

  • Council caretakers sworn in

    Council caretakers sworn in

    Sixteen newly appointed local government caretaker chairmen in Taraba State were yesterday sworn-in by Acting Governor Abubakar Sani Danladi.

    Chief Judge Justice Josephine Turktur administered the oath of office at the Government House Executive Council Chambers.

    Among them is Danladi Danfulani Suntai, a younger brother of Governor Danbaba Danfulani Suntai. He will take charge of Bali council.

    The newly sworn-in caretakers include Philemon Bitah (Ardo-Kola), Danladi Danfulani Suntai (Bali), Barnabas Ibrahim (Donga), Mohammed Umar Gyam (Gashaka), Tukura Bashiri (Gassol), Iliya Mohammed Ajibu (Ibi), Hassan Bappa (Jalingo) and Barnabas Yusuf (Karimlamido).

    Others are: Ibrahim Stephen Agya (Kurmi), Nelson Banka (Lau), Mohammed Tepsy Warwar (Sardauna), Caleb Bitrus Tabsi (Takum), Abershi Musa (Ussa), Daniel Angyu (Wukari), Zakari Buba Nyala (Yorro) and Haruna Konko (Zing).

    The caretakers are to serve for three months. Each of them has a deputy, secretary and nine supervisory councilors to work with.

    The acting governor said the tenures of the (former) elected council bosses expired on May 17.

    He said: “According to the provision of Section 15(2) of the State Independent Electoral Commission Law, the commission ought to have conducted fresh election 30 days before the expiration of their tenure.”

    “However, the period coincided with the general elections which made it impossible for the commission to proceed with the exercise.

    “It is, therefore, better to constitute caretakers in the various local government councils.”

     

  • ‘How Rivers governor-elect ‘ll be sworn-in’

    A lawyer, Uche Wigwe, explains how the next governor of Rivers State will be sworn-in by the judge on May 29

    Section 185 (2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of the Nigeria (as amended) stipulates the procedure for administering the oaths of allegiance and the oaths of office of a State Governor. The provision provides thus-

    185 (2) “the Oath of Allegiance and the oath of office shall be administered by the Chief Judge of the State or Grand Kadi of the Sharia Court Appeal of the State, if any, or president of the Customary Court of Appeal of the State, if any, or the person for the time being respectively appointed to exercise the functions of any of those offices in any state”

    From the provision of the Constitution, it is trite that either the Chief Judge of a State, or the President of the Customary Court of Appeal a State, or a Grand Khadi of the Sharia Court of Appeal a State, or any person exercising the functions of the above mentioned posts in any other State in Nigeria can administer the oath of office to a Governor.

    Under the Interpretation Act CAP 123 LFN 2004, Section 18 (3) defines the word “OR” as follows – “The word “or” and the word “other” shall in any enactment, be construed disjunctively and not as implying similarity. This expressly connotes that each of the offices stipulated under Section 185(2) of the 1999 Constitution have the power to administer oath of office to a governor and can perform that function distinctly or independently.

    Section 318 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), interprets “State” as follows – “State” when used otherwise than in relation to one of the component parts of the Federation, includes government. This simply means that a State is one of the component parts of the federation. To this end, the last phrase of Section 185(2) – or the person for the time being respectively appointed to exercise the functions of any of those offices in any state therefore connotes that in the absence of the Chief Judge of a State or the Grand Khadi of the Sharia Court of Appeal of a State or the President of the Customary Court of Appeal of a State to administer oath of office to a Governor, that the Chief Judge or Grand Khadi of Sharia Court of Appeal or President of the Customary Court of Appeal of any other State can perform the said function of administering the oath of office in the State where there is a vacuum.

    The only argument that can be canvassed against the use of a Chief Judge of another State or Grand Khadi of the Sharia Court of another State or the President of the Customary Court of Appeal of another State in administering the Oath of Office to a State Governor in another state is if the state in issue has such offices duly occupied by a validly appointed person.

    In Rivers State, it is known that there is presently no Chief Judge of Rivers State. There is also no subsisting President of the Customary Court of Appeal, as the substantive president was suspended by the National Judicial Commission (NJC). Therefore, on the strength of the last phrase contained in Section 185 (2) of the Constitution, it will be valid for the Chief Judge of another State or the Grand Khadi of the Sharia Court of Appeal of another State or the President of the Customary Court of Appeal of another state to administer the oath of office to the governor-elect of Rivers State, owing to the fact that there is neither a Chief Judge or President of the Customary of Appeal in Rivers State to perform such function.

     

  • NANS leaders sworn in

    Members of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) in Zone B have inaugurates newly-elected executive.

    The ceremony had students and stakeholders from within and outside the zone in attendance.

    The chairman of the inaugural committee, E. E. Zadock, attributed the success of the election to God and the cooperation among  members.

    He said: “It was God who made everything possible today. That things are moving as planned is not by our own making, members did a whole lot to ensure things went the way they did.”

    He praised the Vice-Chancellor of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Prof Bonniface Egboka, for giving the association support.

    The Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), Prof Chigozie Asiabaka, who was represented by the Dean of Students’ Affairs, Prof M.T. Offor, advised the new executive to be focused and diligent in service delivery, which, according to him, would go a long way in moving the association to a greater height. The VC urged the students to embrace culture of service.

    Anambra State Governor Willie Obiano, who was represented by Senior Special Assistant on Youths and Students Matters, Chinedu Obidigwe, urged the students’ leaders to work for students and promote unity.

    He affirmed the governor’s readiness to attend to various challenges confronting youths and students in the state.

    Members of executive sworn in included Ikechukwu Okorie, co-ordinator, Richard Ekutu, Deputy co-ordinator and Chuks Okafor, Secretary General.

    Others are Chibuzor Pedro, Public Relations Officer, Mercy Ogar, Financial Secretary, Rodny Okwusi, Assistant Financial Secretary, Anietie Inyang, Director of Special Duties, Aliyu Enadamen, Director of External Affairs, Victor Ezenagu, Director of Action and Mobilisation and Paul Eze, Director of Sport.

  • Students’ leaders sworn in

    Members of the Students’ Union executive of the Kogi State University (KSU) in Ayingba, who were recently elected, have been sworn in.

    The Vice-Chancellor, Prof Hassan Isah, who chaired the swearing-in ceremony, congratulated the students’ leaders and advised them to work as a team to promote the interest of students.

    John Idachaba, the union president, said his agenda was to promote the welfare of students, stressing that his office would be open to suggestions from progressive-minded persons to facilitate growth of the union.

    “Let me put it on record that we shall pursue our mandate with vigour and remain consistent to the delivery of our promises, which include fighting for the rights of students. I know quite well that the best way to appreciate students is to implement the social contract between us,” he said.

    The event was attended by Prof Z. O. Apata, Deputy VC (Administration), Prof Steve Metiboba, Deputy VC (Academics), Mr J.A Zhizhi, Registrar, Benjamin Ogwo, Dean of Student Affairs and students.