Dons EzeAPPEAL COURT REAFFIRMS JULIUS ABURE AS LABOUR PARTY NATIONAL CHAIRMAN
APPEAL COURT REAFFIRMS JULIUS ABURE AS LABOUR PARTY NATIONAL CHAIRMAN The Abuja division of the Court of Appeal has reiterated that Julius Abure remains the National Chairman of the Labour Party. A three-member panel of the appellate court in a judgement delivered by Justice Hamma Barka, held that its judgement of November 13, 2024, which recognizes Abure as national chairman subsists and has not been set aside by any court. Barka made the declaration on Friday while delivering judgement in two separate appeals filed by Senator Esther Nenadi Usman and the caretaker committee and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The appellate court in the two separate appeals held that it did not delve into the issue of the leadership of the Labour Party, because such issues are not justiciable. According to the appellate court, anything that is done outside jurisdiction amounts to a nullity. Hence the judgement of the Federal High Court delivered on October 8, 2024 by Justice Emeka Nwite is of no effect because it was delivered without jurisdiction. “We cannot say this appeal fails or succeed because the lower court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the suit in the first place”, Barka held. While striking out the suit for want of jurisdiction, he held that the appellate relied on its previous judgement of November 13 last year to hold that “Abure Remains National Chairman of the Labour Party”.
POLICE AUTHORITIES SUSPEND ASSISTANT INSPECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE, STOP SALARY
POLICE AUTHORITIES SUSPEND ASSISTANT INSPECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE, STOP SALARY The Nigeria Police Force has approved the suspension of Assistant Inspector General of Police ΑIG Abduyari Shuaya’u Lafia from duty with effect from January 9, 2025. In a wireless message addressed to all departments, units and commands, signed by the Force Secretary, the Force Headquarters warned the officer to adhere strictly to the rules and regulations governing the conduct of police officers on suspension accordingly, pending the determination of his case by the Force Disciplinary Committee (FDC). Titled: “Suspension and Interdiction AP. NΟ. 41804 ΑIG Abduyari Shuaya’u Lafia,’ the police authorities cited the decision of the Police Service Commission (POLSCOM) which was communicated in its letter dated January 9, 2025 and in accordance with PSR 100406, 2021 as amended. The police authorities further directed the Assistant Inspector General of Police Budget and Payment to ensure that appropriate steps were taken to stop his salary immediately. The communication dated January 10, 2025 with Ref: AP:41804/FS/FHQ/ABJ/VOL.IV/3 partly read: “Suspension and interdiction X AP.NΟ. 41804 ΑIG Abduyari Shuaya’u Lafia X the Police Service Commission (POLSCOM) in its letter No. PSC/CHR/IGP/VOL.5/018 dated 9th January 2025 X in accordance with PSR 100406, 2021 as amended x has approved the suspension of the above named officer from duty with effect from 9/01/2025 X warn the officer to adhere strictly to the rules and regulations governing the conduct of police officers on suspension accordingly x pending the determination of his case by the Force Disciplinary Committee (FDC) X AIGPOL BUDGET/PAYMECH all states only x ensure appropriate step is taken to stop his salary X treat as very important x please.” Lafia assumed office as the AIG in charge of the Force Intelligence Bureau, Force Headquarters, Abuja, in February 2023.
FG SPEAKS ON INCREASE IN PETROL PRICE
FG SPEAKS ON INCREASE IN PETROL PRICE The Federal Government has clarified its role in determining the price of fuel in the country. According to the Minister of State Petroleum Resources, Heineken Lokpobiri, the government is no longer involved in setting fuel prices. Speaking at the inaugural meeting of the Petroleum Industry Stakeholders Forum in Abuja, Lokpobiri explained that the downstream sector is now fully deregulated. He said, “The whole essence of deregulation is for price to find its level. Before now you will agree with me that every day you are hearing negative news about petrol subsidies. Today, you journalists have no negative news about petrol subsidies because it is completely regulated, and the price will find its level. “As oil price goes up, petrol price will go up, and as oil price comes down, the price will come up. During the Christmas season, I was in Bayelsa, and I tried to go around different filling stations. Some filling stations were selling N1,020, others were selling N999, while others were selling N1,015. “What we are concerned about, and I’ve always had that discussion with you, with the Authority Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, is that the government is more interested in quality control. The government is more interested in availability, and what the government is particularly interested in is the dispensation of the right quantity. “If you are buying 10 litres of PMS, let it be that you are not short-changed by the retail filling station. That is where we have issues. And once there is competition, people have a choice, and that’s why you don’t see any queues”. The minister’s comments come amid concerns over a potential increase in fuel prices. The cost of Brent crude, the global benchmark for crude oil, has recently crossed $80 per barrel. However, marketers have allayed fears of an imminent price hike, stating that any changes will not be immediate.
DANGOTE REFINERY ANNOUNCES NEW PETROL PRICE, LITRE NOW SELLS N955 AT LOADING POINT
DANGOTE REFINERY ANNOUNCES NEW PETROL PRICE, LITRE NOW SELLS N955 AT LOADING POINT In response to a sustained increase in the price of Brent crude, the global benchmark, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, has announced a new price list for its customers for Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly referred to as petrol or fuel.In a statement reportedly disseminated via email on Friday, The PUNCH quoted Dangote Refinery to have revealed that the new price for its refined products will be set at ₦955 per litre at the loading gantry, indicating a revision in its pricing framework The refinery specified that marketers purchasing between 2 million and 4.99 million litres will be charged ₦955 per litre, while those acquiring 5 million litres or more will benefit from a slightly lower rate of ₦950 per litre. This adjustment represents an increase of ₦55.5, or 6.17 per cent, from the ₦899.50 per litre price that was offered as a holiday discount to Nigerians in December of the previous year. The new pricing structure will apply to all stock balances that have not yet been lifted by the specified time, and any pending stock as of the effective time will also be subject to the revised rates. The statement further indicated that this new pricing regime will come into effect at 5:30 PM today. The notice titled, “Communication on PMS Price Review” read, “Dear Esteemed Customer, Trust this email finds you well. “Kindly be advised that effective from 5:30 PM today, an upward adjustment has been implemented on the gantry price of Premium Motor Spirit. Quantity: Previous Price (NGN/Litre)2 million-9.99 million -N899.5010 million Litres & Above N895Quantity: New Price (NGN/ Litre)2 million – 4.99 million N9555 million Litres & Above N950“Please note that all stock balances yet to be lifted as at the above-stated time are to be repriced at the new reviewed prices. “We shall communicate with customers on their revised volumes based on the reviewed prices, in due course.” Naija News reports that the anticipated rise in prices is likely to significantly impact the downstream petroleum industry, especially private depots and retail markets. An oil and gas specialist, Olatide Jeremiah, told newsmen that depots are expected to raise the loading prices of refined petroleum products due to the substantial influence exerted by the refinery. Jeremiah, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Petroleum Price.ng, said, “Dangote Refinery’s influence on Fuel price has become unmatched; private depots, Major marketers, and independent Marketers will compete with this new price. Therefore, Nigerians should expect an increase in Petrol Pump Price. “Brent Crude oil as of today is $81.84, highest in 2025, its one major factor for the increase.” On Thursday, the Minister of State Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, disclosed that the price of crude oil in the international market remains a significant force in driving the fluctuations in the pump prices of petrol. He said the downstream sector is now fully deregulated, and the government is no longer involved in setting prices.
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY SETS N2.5TRN REVENUE TARGET FOR FIRS
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY SETS N2.5TRN REVENUE TARGET FOR FIRS IN 2025 The national assembly joint committee on finance has set N25 trillion as revenue target for the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) for the 2025 fiscal year. The committee, composed of the finance panels of the senate and house of representatives, also commended the service for raking in N21.6 trillion in 2024. Speaking during the budget defence session of the FIRS, Saidu Musa Abdullahi, deputy chair of the house committee on finance, said it commendable that the service surpassed its N19.4 trillion target last year. “It is very cheering and encouraging,” he said. “We shall give you total support on your tax reform but you need to bring in more taxable citizens into the net from the informal sector.” Sani Musa, chair of the senate committee on finance, said the service should work with the target of N25 trillion. “It is achievable and even surpassable,” Musa said. Etanabene Benedict, a member of the committee, said if the country gets its tax collection right, it might not need to borrow to fund its budgets. “If we do well on tax collections or revenue generation, we will not borrow to fund our budget,” Benedict said. “Going by the feat attained by FIRS in 2024, urge this committee to project N60 trillion tax collection or revenue generation for it in 2025.” However, the panel agreed to fix the target for the tax agency at N25 trillion.
EX- FIRST BANK CHAIRMAN, OBA OTUDEKO, SUDDENLY LEAVES NIGERIA AS EFCC CLOSES IN
EX-FIRST BANK CHAIRMAN, OBA OTUDEKO SUDDENLY LEAVES NIGERIA AS EFCC CLOSES IN Oba Otudeko, a former chairman of the First Bank of Nigeria (FBN), has suddenly left Nigeria, TheCable understands. His departure comes in the wake of his imminent arraignment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 13-count charge of alleged fraud. TheCable understands that the businessman left the country via one of the land borders. According to security sources, he was dropped off at the Nigeria-Benin border on Thursday evening by a family member. Earlier on Thursday, the EFCC filed charges against Otudeko and three others at the federal high court in Lagos for allegedly obtaining a N30 billion loan under false pretences. The anti-graft agency said the defendants would be arraigned on Monday. The three other defendants are Stephen Olabisi Onasanya, a former group managing director of FBN; Soji Akintayo, an ex-board member of Honeywell Flour Mills plc; and Anchorage Limited, a company linked to Otudeko.
ICPC TO ARRAIGN EL RUFAI’S EX-APPOINTEES OVER ALLEGED N64M FRAUD
ICPC TO ARRAIGN EL-RUFAI’S EX-APPOINTEES OVER ALLEGED N64M FRAUD Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) is set to arraign three ex-appointees of former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, in a fresh N64 million money-laundering suit. The ex-appointees are a former Senior Special Adviser/Counsellor to the former governor, Mr Lawal Shakiru Olajimi Adebisi; the ex-accountant general of Kaduna State, Mr Umar Waziri; and the former Finance Commissioner, Mr Yusuf Inuwa, . Also joined in the suit is Solar Life Nigeria Limited, the company, whose bank account was believed to have received the diverted fund. In the suit filed at the Federal High Court, Kaduna Judicial Division, the ICPC is accusing Lawal of conniving with the two other accused persons to divert the total sum of N64,800,562 in three tranches of N10,000,000,00; N47,840,000.00 and N7,320,562.00 to the bank account of Solar Life Nigeria limited, where Lawal is believed to be the sole signatory. The four accused persons are expected to appear in court tomorrow to take their plea. Recall that ICPC had, last week, in a separate charge arraigned the former Chief of Staff and Commissioner of Finance in Kaduna State, Alhaji Muhammad Bashir Sa’idu, for money laundering. ICPC, in a two-count charge also filed before the Federal High Court in Kaduna, accused Saidu of accepting a cash payment of N155,000,000 from Ibrahim Muktar, a public officer in the Ministry of Finance.
SUPREME COURT DOCUMENT REVEALS NO RECORD OF EX-LAGOS SPEAKER OBASA’S LEGAL ENROLLMENT
SUPREME COURT DOCUMENT REVEALS NO RECORD OF EX-LAGOS SPEAKER OBASA’S LEGAL ENROLLMENT More trouble seems to be brewing for recently impeached Speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, as a document, which surfaced on the social media, reveals that his name is not in the record of legal practitioners in Nigeria. A Supreme Court document has revealed that impeached Lagos Speaker Obasa is not registered as a legal practitioner, sparking controversy. The document, a response by the Supreme Court to a verification request on the status of Obasa as a lawyer, was dated July 24, 2020 and signed by one Gertrude Karenton-Mordi on behalf of the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court. Titled, “Re: Verification of Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa as a Solicitor and Advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria,” the apex court, according to the document, advised the impeached speaker to come to the apex court with relevant documents for enrolment, as his name was not found in the apex court’s records The document read, “We acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 23rd July, 2020 and on the above captured subject matter. This is to inform you that we have checked our records and cannot find the name: MUDASHIRU AJAYI OBASA on the numerous Rolls of Legal Practitioners kept in this Honourable Court. “MUDASHIRU AJAYI OBASA is at liberty to come to this Honourable Court with his Call to bar and qualifying certificates for enrolment. If he has done a change of name, he is expected to show proof of same.” Meanwhile, the spokesman of the Supreme Court, Dr Fetus Akande, confirmed the document, acknowledging that, “It emanated from our office.” Obasa had claimed to have received a bachelor’s degree in Law from Lagos State University, Lagos, in 2006. However, an anonymous person on July 23, 2020 wrote the apex court seeking to confirm if the name of Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa was contained in the Rolls of Legal Practitioners at the apex court. Obasa was on Monday impeached as Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, paving the way for the first female speaker, Rt. Hon. Mojisola Meranda. His offences bordered on gross misconduct and abuse of office.Ip be AWS
LANDMARK GROUP PARTNERS WITH ENUGU STATE TO REVAMP NIKE LAKE RESORT
LANDMARK GROUP PARTNERS WITH ENUGU TO REVAMP NIKE LAKE RESORT The chief executive officer of Landmark Group, Mr. Paul Onwuanibe, has finalised an agreement with the Enugu State government on a 35-year lease to revitalise the Nike Lake Resort to a competitive standard in Nigeria and beyond. In line with the “Akurulo Igbo campaign” that’s calling all Igbo entrepreneurs to invest in Igbo land, Mr. Onwuanibe has taken the bold step to develop Nike Lake. The aim of the 150-hectare Nike Lake Resort acquisition, according to Mr. Onwuanibe, is to make Enugu state a high-venture tourist hub that would welcome high-profile tourism within and outside Nigeria. This agreement happened on Wednesday at the Enugu State Government House, where the Commissioner for Trade and Investment, Mrs. Adaora Chukwu, signed on behalf of the state government, and the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Landmark Group, Mr. Paul Onwuanibe, signed for his organisation. Other witnesses include the state Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, and the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia. What to know about Nike Resort Nike Lake Resort was established in 1988. It is situated on the banks of Nike Lake in the Abakpa Nike district of Enugu. Initially, it was developed to blend modern comforts with the area’s natural beauty, offering guests a serene environment complemented by rich cultural heritage. However, over the years, the resort experienced a decline in infrastructure and services, diminishing its appeal to tourists and residents alike. Recognising its potential, the administration of former Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi initiated efforts in 1980 to transform the resort, aiming to restore its status as a premier hospitality destination. But, it didn’t get to the peak expected, and the resort has trudged on along like an abandoned car. However, this lease agreement with the Landmark Group under the Peter Mbah administration looks promising as Enugu people are in high expectations this time. However, Governor Peter Mbah emphasised that this present partnership aligns with his administration’s broader strategy to position Enugu as a preferred destination for both tourism and investment. The revitalisation of Nike Lake Resort is a significant step towards achieving this vision, reflecting the government’s commitment to sustainable development and economic diversification. Anticipated Benefits of the Partnership The collaboration between Enugu State and Landmark Africa Group is poised to bring significant benefits to the state and to the country as a whole. Such benefits include economic growth, which will boost local employment, stimulate small businesses, and increase revenue generation. It will also lead to upgraded facilities and services at the resort, which will attract a higher tourist attention that will place Enugu as a key destination in Nigeria. Also, it will result in cultural preservation and display that will also offer visitors an immersive experience. The area of infrastructural development is not left as is. Improvements in and around the resort will lead to better infrastructure, benefiting the local community. The partnership between Landmark Africa Group and the Enugu State Government marks a pivotal moment in the journey to restore Nike Lake Resort to its former glory. With planned investments and developments, the resort is set to become a beacon of tourism in Nigeria, offering unparalleled experiences to visitors and contributing to the socio-economic growth of the region.
TEARS AS TRUCK CRASHES INTO RESIDENTIAL BUILDING, KILLS NINE FAMILY MEMBERS IN BENUE
TEARS AS TRUCK CRASHES INTO RESIDENTIAL BUILDING, KILLS NINE FAMILY MEMBERS IN BENUE Tragedy struck in Okete, a quiet community in the Ohimini Local Government Area of Benue State, on Thursday, when a truck crashed into a residential building, killing nine members of a family. Sources told our correspondent that the incident occurred around 5 am when the family was still asleep. It was gathered that the truck suffered a brake failure, which caused the driver to lose control, leading to the collision with the house situated along the roadside. An eyewitness, who failed to mention his name because he was not permitted to speak to the media, said, “The incident happened early this morning when most people were still in bed. The loud noise from the crash woke up the neighbours.” The Benue State Police Command confirmed the incident to our correspondent when contacted. The command’s spokesperson, Catherine Anene, said, “The truck rammed into a residential building, killing nine members of the family. The unfortunate incident occurred in the early hours of Thursday.” She added that the police had begun a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash and assured the public that further details would be provided in due course.