Flowerbud News

Year: 2026

  • Nigeria set to create a Club of Super Lawyers

    Nigeria set to create a Club of Super Lawyers

     

    *By Chidi Anselm Odinkalu

    Twenty-three days after its transmission by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the upper chamber of Nigeria’s National Assembly, the Senate, held public hearings on 18 December 2025 to consider the Legal Practitioners Bill. At this pace, the bill could become law well before the middle of 2026.

    The journey to this bill has been somewhat tortured. The last time there was any meaningful legislative action on the regulation of the legal profession in Nigeria, the military was in power and that was over 50 years ago. The existing framework governing Nigeria’s legal profession has in fact evolved very little since the Legal Practitioners Act was first enacted two years after independence in 1962. Long before the onset of this millennium, it was evident that the design and regulation of Nigeria’s legal profession needed a review. Substantial disagreements, however, existed on how to accomplish this.
    In December 2016, then president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Abubakar Balarabe (AB) Mahmoud, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), constituted a Legal Practitioners Regulation Review Committee under the leadership of Anthony Idigbe, SAN, with a mandate to undertake consultations and rationalize proposals for the reform and regulation of Nigeria’s legal profession. As part of its work, the Idigbe Committee took soundings from the official legal profession and from branches of the NBA. The Committee comprised entirely of lawyers and, in its work, appeared to make little effort to reach out to or consult with consumers of legal services. That was a significant flaw in its process.

    Upon receiving the committee’s report, the president of the NBA then set out the desired goals and ambitions of the reform he sought: “We need a legal profession” he declared, “that will inspire confidence in the Nigerian legal system such that entrepreneurship will thrive and foreigners will feel confident to invest in our country thereby generating prosperity for our people.” He complained that – afflicted as it was by chronically incapable regulation – “the Nigerian Bar Association as presently structured and managed cannot provide that leadership expected to produce these outcomes.”

    For nearly two decades preceding the Idigbe Committee Report and immediately thereafter, the NBA had been led by SANs. In 2020, the membership of the association elected Olumide Akpata to lead it. An exceptional and able lawyer, Olumide made his name at the commercial Bar. It is fair to say that some traditionalists took personal affront at his election to lead the Bar.

    Any hopes for a quick dash to translate into legislative reality the lofty dreams inspired by the Idigbe Committee Report were to be quickly frustrated by an internecine contest that ensued of egos and interests too complex to be rehashed here. As the contest unfolded, the original proposals of the Idigbe Committee vegetated; then mutated, before getting annihilated.

    It appears that some interests within the Body of Benchers (BoB) decided in the flux to capture the profession. Much of the contest that followed over the future of the regulatory proposals was to occur within the BoB. A statutory body created by the existing Legal Practitioners Act, the BoB is described under law as “a body of legal practitioners of the highest distinction” in Nigeria, responsible for admitting new entrants into the legal profession.

    While the BoB sought to subordinate to itself the NBA and all other organs for the regulation of the Legal Profession, the NBA sought to argue for its independence as the professional association of lawyers in Nigeria. As this argument raged, some interests instigated a contest over the assertion of associational monopolies by the NBA with the emergence of a Nigerian Law Society (NLS), in effect, forcing the NBA to battle on two fronts for its own survival.

    These contests were still ongoing when in 2023, Nigeria elected a new President.

    Leading protagonists in the BoB, who were also counsel to the new president, acquired presidential leverage in the battle to shape the new regulatory environment.
    With the strategic landscape thus redefined, the NBA was left to seek tactical accommodation in shaping the content of the new Bill, with a focus on preserving its considerable revenue streams.

    The original ambitions outlined in 2018 for a radical reinvention of Nigeria’s legal profession suffered a tragic stillbirth.

    Among its eight objectives, the bill proposes to advance public confidence in legal services; promote the public interest, rule of law and access to justice; and, above all, “ensure the independence, integrity and honour of members of the legal profession.”
    There is, however, a clear mismatch between the essential proposals of the Bill and these high-sounding objectives.

    For starters, about half of the bill is devoted to provisions for a revamped Body of Benchers, which emerges from these proposals as a supreme regulator – if not owner – of Nigeria’s legal profession. If these proposals become law, the provisions of the bill governing the BoB will prove to be the cemetery of Nigeria’s legal profession.

    Far from being a guarantor of an independent Bar, the BoB created by this Bill is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the ruling government. It will be funded by the Federal Government through the National Judicial Council. Among its membership, the BoB will include the Chief Justice of Nigeria; Attorney-General of the Federation; all Justices of the Supreme Court; President of the Court of Appeal and Presiding Justices of divisions of the Court of Appeal; Chief Judge of the Federal High Court and of all state High Courts (and the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory); President of the National Industrial Court; all State Attorneys-General; as well as the President of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Chairs of Judiciary Committee in both chambers of the National Assembly if they have been lawyers for at least 15 years. The NBA’s representation in the Body will be 61, comprising its president and 60 other lawyers nominated by its National Executive Committee. It will be a no-contest.

    Second, the BoB will be responsible not merely for admission into the legal profession but also for discipline. So, the body will subsume the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC). Members of the Body will become, in typical Nigerian fashion, above discipline.

    Third, to underscore the supremacy of the BoB, the bill now proposes that the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee (LPPC) can only make, retain or review rules and criteria for conferment of the rank of SAN, including any conditions for withdrawal of the rank, “with the approval of the Body of Benchers.”

    Fourth, in a specific act of legislative reprisal, the new bill excludes from the LPPC, the President of the NBA, until now a member of the LPPC, which determines the conferment of the rank of SAN, unless he or she is a SAN. This provision is a specific reprisal against the NBA for electing in 2020 a president who was not a SAN. For that reason, this provision may, in time, become known as the “Olumide Akpata Reprisal”.

    Fifth, the ambitions of the bill venture into the impossible. In addition to regulating the practice of law in Nigeria, it also purports to reserve for Nigerian lawyers only legal services in relation to any matter of Nigerian law, or in relation to any dispute or transaction with substantial nexus to Nigeria. Implicitly, the bill asserts extra-territorial effect. It is hard to see how that can work.

    The bill contains other significant provisions, such as the requirement for mandatory pupillage of up to two years for new lawyers or for licensing of foreign lawyers. Even the provision concerning foreign lawyers is tone-deaf. It defines a foreign lawyer as “a person entitled to practice law in a foreign jurisdiction.” By this bill, a Nigerian lawyer qualified in another jurisdiction is considered foreign.

    Admirable though its original goals were, Nigeria’s new Legal Practitioners Bill has suffered predictable derailment. If it gets adopted in its present form, the new law will be a shrine to institutional capture. Its main achievement will be to create in members of the Body of Benches a new breed of super lawyers. The currency of their trade will be influence peddling, the very antithesis of what the effort to reform the Legal Practitioners Act was meant to be.

    *A lawyer and a teacher, Odinkalu can be reached at chidi.odinkalu@tufts.edu*

  • Even if all 36 State Governors Defect to APC, Masses Will Vote you Out – Kwankwaso to Tinubu

     

    Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the 2023 Presidential Candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), had issued a stark warning to President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), asserting that despite the current pressure from President Tinubu on Governors to join the ruling party, such moves would ultimately be futile.

    According to a video shared by Saifullahi Hassan, the Senior Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Presidential Candidate from the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) of the just concluded General Election, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the former Kano State Governor while speaking to members of the Kwankwasiyya Movement at his Miller Road residence, reacted to the defection of Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, from the NNPP to the APC with defiance and a powerful reminder of divine political authority.

    He also drew a parallel to their miraculous 2023 victories in the 2023 Kano State Gubernatorial Candidate, reminding the audience that in 2019, the Kwankwasiyya political structure held no councillor, senator, or House of Representatives seat within Kano, standing alone against a formidable coalition of former Governors, former Senators, and the then-sitting governor, stating ‘But God showed the whole world that leadership and power belong only to Him,” further framing their past success as a divine intervention that transcended mere political machinery.

    Regarding the upcoming, 2027 Presidential Election, the NNPP leader, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso issued a chilling prophecy to defectors aligning with the APC, asserting that despite the current pressure from the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Governors across the Federation to join the ruling party, such moves would ultimately be futile, suggesting that the concentration of political elites in one party would not guarantee electoral success.

    He also argued that the defection of Governors was a superficial gain that ignores the will of the Nigerian populace, stating “Tinubu is putting pressure on all governors to defect to APC. But he should be reminded that even if all the 36 state governors defect to APC, the masses are not with him and they will vote him out,” at the same time positioning the upcoming election as a direct clash between the political class and the ordinary voter.

  • Tax:    Indonesia’s new fiscal policy: Growth first, levies later

    Tax:    Indonesia’s new fiscal policy: Growth first, levies later

     

     

    (File photo – Children play beneath a tree with high-rise buildings in the background in Jakarta)

    Jakarta (ANTARA) – Under President Prabowo Subianto’s leadership, the Indonesian government has made raising the ratio of tax revenue to gross domestic product (GDP) a core pillar of its fiscal reform agenda.

    Despite economic challenges throughout 2025, the government sees an opportunity to strengthen state revenue fundamentals through more measurable and sustainable strategies to support long-term growth.

    In the 2025–2029 National Mid-Term Development Plan (RPJMN), the government set more realistic tax-to-GDP ratio targets without diluting its ambition to reinforce fiscal capacity. This year, the government aims for a ratio of 10.03 percent, in line with fiscal consolidation and economic recovery projections.

    In recent years, Indonesia has managed to keep its tax ratio near the 10 percent mark, recording 10.38 percent in 2022, 10.31 percent in 2023, and 10.08 percent in 2024.

    As of the third quarter of 2025, the ratio stood at 8.88 percent under the narrow definition and 9.82 percent under the broad definition, which includes regional tax revenue.

    Although the 2025 target currently appears difficult to achieve, the government has reaffirmed its commitment to steadily improving the ratio in the coming years.

    Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has stressed the government’s resolve to pursue long-term fiscal policies aimed at expanding fiscal space, with the ultimate objective of improving public welfare.

    What the 2025 numbers reveal

    Indonesia had collected about Rp2,113.3 trillion (US$1 = Rp16,773) in state revenue as of late October 2025, equal to 73.7 percent of this year’s State Budget target. While performance was solid, revenue remained below levels seen two years earlier amid higher commodity prices.

    Net tax revenue as of October 31 reached Rp1,459.03 trillion, down 3.9 percent year on year and equal to 70.2 percent of the target. Gross revenue grew 1.8 percent, indicating higher tax restitution rather than weaker collection.

    Director General of Taxes Bimo Wijayanto reported a 36.4 percent surge in tax restitution as of October 2025, driven largely by corporate income tax and value-added tax (VAT) refunds.

    Growth before new levies

    To support President Prabowo’s tax-to-GDP agenda, Finance Minister Purbaya has opted for a growth-oriented approach. Rather than immediately expanding the tax base, the government is prioritizing economic growth to strengthen taxpayers’ capacity organically.

    He has assured the public that the government will refrain from introducing new levies until economic growth reaches 6 percent. Since the post-pandemic recovery, Indonesia’s economic growth has ranged between 5.03 and 5.31 percent.

    This approach has drawn support from Fajry Akbar, a tax observer at the Center for Indonesia Taxation Analysis (CITA), who said stimulating growth to reinforce the existing tax base is the most appropriate strategy amid global economic uncertainty.

    Executive Director of the Pratama-Kreston Tax Research Institute, Prianto Budi Saptono, suggested that the Directorate General of Taxes step up asset tracing for taxpayers with finalized arrears cases to ensure overdue taxes are paid.

    Structural reforms beyond growth

    Economists caution that growth alone may not be sufficient to sustainably raise Indonesia’s tax-to-GDP ratio without deeper structural reforms.

    Center of Reform on Economics (CORE) economist Yusuf Rendy Manilet urged the government to accelerate economic formalization by bringing informal activities into the tax net.

    He stressed that most informal economic activities in Indonesia remain beyond the tax base and will continue to do so without formalization.

    To address this, Manilet said the government should simplify licensing procedures, promote transaction digitalization, and encourage micro, small and medium enterprises to formalize through targeted incentives.

    Beyond broadening the tax base, he also advocated deeper industrialization and tax extensification. Industrialization, he said, would structurally lift the tax-to-GDP ratio by increasing manufacturing contributions through corporate income tax and VAT.

    Without expanding industrial activity beyond raw commodity exports and incentive-heavy projects, the sector’s contribution to tax revenue will remain limited, he added, noting that productivity gains and greater investment are essential.

    On tax extensification, Manilet described it as a way to generate new revenue sources without undermining growth, saying well-targeted measures could deliver faster gains in the tax-to-GDP ratio.

    The Ministry of Finance has outlined these approaches in its 2025–2029 Strategic Plan, which includes integrating taxpayer databases across ministries and agencies and tapping new revenue sources.

    Central to the reforms is the full rollout of the Core Tax Administration System in 2025, a digital overhaul automating processes, including linking national ID numbers with tax IDs, to reduce data silos and improve voluntary compliance through a user-friendly taxpayer portal.

    Economists project that while Indonesia faces increasing global and domestic challenges, prudent and well-calibrated policies will be critical to managing risks and fulfilling the government’s commitment to strengthening fiscal capacity for national development.

  • Venezuela Gets New President

    Venezuela Gets New President

     

     

    Venezuela’s Supreme Court has ordered Vice President Delcy Rodríguez to assume office as acting president following the detention of President Nicolás Maduro by United States forces.

    The directive was issued on Saturday by the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice, which said the decision was taken to ensure continuity of governance amid what it described as the “forced absence” of the president.

    According to the ruling, Rodríguez is to take over “the office of President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, in order to guarantee administrative continuity and the comprehensive defence of the Nation.”

    The court added that it would convene further deliberations to determine the appropriate legal framework for managing the situation.

    “The court will debate the matter in order to determine the applicable legal framework to guarantee the continuity of the State, the administration of government, and the defence of sovereignty in the face of the forced absence of the President of the Republic,” the ruling stated.

    Maduro was arrested early Saturday morning during an operation carried out by U.S. forces, an action that has sparked intense political and diplomatic reactions both within Venezuela and internationally.

    The Supreme Court’s move effectively places Rodríguez in charge of the country’s executive authority pending further legal and political developments.

    Meanwhile, Maduro has arrived in New York, United States, to stand trial on arms and drug trafficking charges.

  • Governor Abba’s Entry into the APC: How Tinubu’s Political Arithmetic Collapsed in Kano

    Governor Abba’s Entry into the APC: How Tinubu’s Political Arithmetic Collapsed in Kano

     

     

    By Kabiru Inuwa Hayinhago

    President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is widely acknowledged as a master of political calculation, a leader whose career has been shaped by strategic foresight and numerical precision. Yet, in the peculiar case of Kano State, it appears that his trusted political calculator has malfunctioned or worse, had its batteries quietly removed by misguided advisers. The proposed entry of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf into the APC has thrown Tinubu’s Kano strategy into disarray, as prevailing political realities and public sentiment suggest that securing victory in the state through this move would be an uphill, if not impossible, task.

    To begin with, unless Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso himself crosses over into the APC, the idea of Abba’s defection remains politically hollow. The Kwankwasiyya movement is not merely a political tendency; it is an ideology anchored in personal loyalty to Kwankwaso. A significant number of its adherents would rather abandon Governor Abba than abandon Kwankwaso. Consequently, if Tinubu hopes to harvest Kano’s votes through Abba alone, he is confronted with a fundamental miscalculation that undermines the entire strategy.

    Equally problematic is the emotional and political memory of APC loyalists in Kano, many of whom find forgiveness difficult. The scars from the prolonged legal battles remain fresh particularly the moment when victory seemed assured for Nasiru Gawuna, only for the political inheritance long guarded by party faithful to slip unexpectedly into the hands of an outsider. Such wounds are not easily healed. Even if reconciliation is possible among individuals, extending that forgiveness to Tinubu himself is far more complex. Once again, the political numbers refuse to balance.

    Another critical factor lies with the aggrieved traders whose shops were demolished across Kano. Many of them view election day as an opportunity for political retaliation. Should Governor Abba enter the APC, their anger would naturally be redirected toward the party that accommodated their perceived adversary. In such a scenario, rather than gaining votes, the APC risks inheriting resentment, protest ballots, and organised opposition yet another obstacle in Tinubu’s troubled political equation.

    Then there are the devoted supporters of Senator Barau Jibrin people like us who have witnessed his steadfast commitment to the APC even in the aftermath of electoral defeat. For years, he held the party together as though it had never fallen. When public pressure mounted for him to contest the governorship and he accepted, only for Abba to ultimately emerge as governor, it was Barau’s calming influence and appeal for patience that prevented a political rupture. Without his intervention, the party might have fractured irreparably. This reality further exposes how fragile Tinubu’s Kano calculations truly are.
    Finally, no analysis of Kano politics is complete without confronting the deeply sensitive emirate question: who rightfully occupies the throne Sanusi or Aminu? If Governor Abba joins the APC and Aminu is removed in favour of Sanusi, it would be unrealistic to expect Aminu’s loyalists to cast their ballots for Tinubu. Emirate loyalty in Kano is emotional, historical, and fiercely defended. Ignoring this dimension only deepens the cracks in Tinubu’s already unstable political arithmetic.

    In conclusion, while time still offers a narrow window for correction, prudence demands that President Tinubu does not allow night to fall before shelving the idea of Governor Abba’s entry into the APC. In the desperate pursuit of short-term political gain, he risks losing Kano entirely. This is not opposition rhetoric; it is free, sincere, and strategic advice.

  • CONGRESS SHOULD CALL MR DONALD TRUMP TO ORDER

    CONGRESS SHOULD CALL MR DONALD TRUMP TO ORDER

     

     

    By Femi Falana (SAN)

    In his second term in office, the United States President, Mr Donald Trump, has repeatedly engaged in reckless gangsterism. A few months ago, he bombed Iran without congressional approval.

    In November last year, Mr. Trump threatened to attack Nigeria, gun-a-blazing over his so called Christian genocide. On December 25, 2025, Mr. Trump announced that he had launched “powerful and deadly” strikes against militants linked to the Islamic State group (IS) in north-western Nigeria. Once again, he did not secure
    congressional approval.

    Last night, he bombed Caracas, Venezuela, overthrew President Maduro and killed scores of unarmed people. After the illegal invasion, Mr Trump announced that he had captured a foreign head of state and his wife. He has since charged the couple for terrorism and dealing in narcotics in a District Court in the United States.

    Apart from waging a war against Venezuela in defiance of the Constitution of the United States and international law, Mr. Trump has decided to set up a transition regime in Venezuela for the sole purpose of seizing the vast oil and gas resources of the new colony of the United States.

    Notwithstanding ideological differences with the Maduro administration, the United States Congress should sanction Mr. Trump for the illegal invasion of Venezuela. We equally call on the judiciary of the United States to reject the dubious attempt by Mr. Trump to use domestic courts to subvert the sovereign rights of the people of Venezuela guaranteed by international law.

    The abduction and extraordinary rendition of a sitting president of a sovereign state is indeed a blatant violation of international law. The hypocrisy and double standard of the so-called international community are so glaring.

    The UN must stand with the people of Venezuela and demand justice and accountability for the fundamental breach of the United Nations Charter if the global body is to uphold the letter and spirit of Charter and claim any credibility.

  • Venezuela: The next 72 hours are critical for the world.

    Venezuela: The next 72 hours are critical for the world.

     

    By Ibrahim Majed

    If the United States succeeds in imposing control over Venezuela, and by extension over the world’s largest proven oil reserves, it will mark a major shift in global power.
    Such a move would not be about restoring democracy or protecting human rights, but about reasserting strategic dominance over energy, trade routes, and regional alignments.

    In that case, Iran would likely move to the forefront of Washington’s strategic priorities.
    Securing control over Venezuelan oil would reduce U.S. vulnerability to energy disruptions in the Gulf and provide a buffer against supply shocks in the event of a confrontation with Iran.
    With a reliable alternative source of heavy crude under its influence, Washington would be better positioned to absorb or offset the destruction or shutdown of energy infrastructure in the Persian Gulf during a war.
    This would lower the economic cost of escalation and make military pressure against Iran more politically and economically manageable.

    At the same time, such control would strengthen the United States’ ability to shape global oil flows and pricing, reinforcing the central role of the dollar in energy markets and helping preserve the petrodollar system that underpins U.S. financial power.

    Venezuela would thus become more than a regional issue.
    It would become a strategic precedent, a demonstration that economic pressure, political engineering, and, if necessary, force can be used to restructure sovereign states and realign the global balance of power.

    However, if the United States becomes entangled in Venezuela and faces sustained resistance, the outcome shifts dramatically.
    A prolonged crisis would drain political capital, stretch military and economic resources, and weaken Washington’s capacity to project power elsewhere, including in the Middle East.
    That would also complicate Israeli strategic planning, which is closely tied to U.S. regional leverage.

    What happens in Venezuela will not stay in Latin America.
    It will shape the future of energy control, the limits of American power, and the direction of geopolitical confrontation far beyond Caracas.

  • Netanyahu Congratulates Trump on Maduro Capture

    Netanyahu Congratulates Trump on Maduro Capture

     

    By NATALIE MELTZER

    AP/Flowerbudnews

    sraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Trump on his “bold and historic leadership on behalf of freedom and justice.”

    In a statement posted on his X account, the Israeli leader added “I salute your decisive resolve and the brilliant action of your brave soldiers.”

     

     

     
  • Maduro not legitimate Venezuelan President – US Secretary of State

    Maduro not legitimate Venezuelan President – US Secretary of State

     

    By Adeoa Balogun
    The United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has said that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is not the president of the oil rich country and that his regime is not the legitimate government of the South American country.

    Rubio in a tweet on Saturday said the captured president is the head of the Cartel de Los Soles, a narco-terror organization which has taken possession of the country.

    He said the Maduro is under indictment for pushing drugs into the United States.

    The United States of America on Saturday announced drug and terrorism charges against Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro.This comes after US forces captured Maduro following a large-scale military strike on the South American country.

    “The United States of America has successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country.

    “This operation was done in conjunction with US Law Enforcement,” Trump announced on Truth Social.

    Trump added that he would give a news conference at 11:00 am (1600 GMT) at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, where he is nearing the end of a two-week Christmas and New Year vacation.

    Eagle Online