Flowerbud News

Author: Ibrahim Abusadiq

  • Appeal Court upholds Ododo’s election as governor of Kogi

    Appeal Court upholds Ododo’s election as governor of Kogi

    Flowerbud News

    The three-member panel of justices, in a judgment, agreed with the state election tribunal that the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and its governorship candidate, Murtala Ajaka, failed to prove all the allegations in their petition beyond reasonable doubt.

    The appellate court held that the petitioners’ witnesses were incompetent because their statements did not accompany the petition in line with electoral laws.

    The Appeal Court also held that the issue of alleged certificate forgery against Ododo ought to have commenced at the Federal High Court, being a pre-election matter.

    Subsequently, the Appeal Court held that the appellants could not prove their case “beyond reasonable doubt,” thereby upholding Ododo’s election.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that SDP and Ajaka had, in the petition, sued INEC, Ododo and the APC as 1st to 3rd respondents respectively.

    NAN

  • NAFDAC warns against obstruction of enforcement duty

    NAFDAC warns against obstruction of enforcement duty

    Flowerbud News

    The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has warned against obstruction of its personnel while carrying out enforcement operation against substandard drugs and falsified goods.

    Mr Shaba Mohammed, Director of Investigation and Enforcement, NAFDAC gave the warning in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja.

    Mohammed also the Chairman, Federal Task Force on Fake and Counterfeit Product, said some of the drug hawkers and touts who attacked the enforcement team of the agency in February have been arraigned in court.

    He said some of these involved in the attack were facing trial before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of Federal High Court, Abuja, adding that the arraignment would serve as deterrent to those with similar intention.

    “Those arraigned recently in the court are part of those who attacked NAFDAC officials while on enforcement duty some months ago.

    “Arraigning them in court is to pay for their sins, this is also to advice the public to desist from attacking NAFDAC staff while on duty’’, he said.

    “I will not say there are no counterfeit products in circulation. But such product are brought into the country by unscrupulous elements who do not mean well for the country’’, he said.

    He said such criminals who bring in counterfeit drugs used hawkers to push them into circulation, adding that NAFDAC will not stop arresting hawkers until the whole system is sanitised.

    The director said arresting the hawkers would help NAFDAC in tracking the sources of counterfeit products whether imported or produced locally.

    “The public should support NAFDAC to sanitise the system. Anyone caught in such act will be prosecuted thoroughly because that is obstruction of Federal Government team in performing its jobs.

    “Sales of drug in market places, hawking or in moving vehicle is actually prohibited by NAFDAC law.

    “This is regarded as a criminal act and that is why we are prosecuting those that have committed crime against NAFDAC act’’, he said.

    He said as the director of investigation and enforcement in NAFDAC, he would work closely with the Federal Task Force, which comprises of other related agencies to rid the country of counterfeit drugs and goods.

    Mohammed listed some of the organisations in the about to be inaugurated team as Pharmacist Council of Nigeria, and Customs Service, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Council (FCCPC).

    He said that one of the strategies the taskforce would be using to curb fake drug out of the country is the manning of point of entry into the country to intercept all counterfeit products.

    “We will also be using Post Marketing Surveillance, whose officials would function like undercover agents,” he said.

     

  • PDP suspends National Vice Chairman (South South), Orbih

    PDP suspends National Vice Chairman (South South), Orbih

    Flowerbud News

    The party disclosed this, in a statement, by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba in Abuja on Wednesday.

    Ologunagba said that the National Working Committee (NWC), at its 588th meeting on Wednesday, July 10,;considered all issues, including complaints on the activities of Orbih, concerning the Sept. 21 election.

    According to him, the NWC, at the meeting, unanimously condemned the embarrassing actions and utterances of Orbih relating to the Edo State Governorship Primary Election of PDP.

    “The actions and utterances are inconsistent with the provisions of the Constitution of the PDP (as amended in 2017) and the demand of his office as a national officer of the party.

    “Consequently, the NWC has set up a six-member committee headed by the Deputy National Chairman (South), Amb. Taofeek Arapaja, to investigate the issue pursuant to the provisions of the Constitution of the party.

    “In the meantime, the NWC forthwith suspends Chief Dan Orbih from participating in all meetings, activities and programmes of the NWC, pending the conclusion of the investigation by the committee,” he said.

    Ologunagba added that the NWC acknowledged the support and solidarity of the overwhelming majority of the people of Edo who rallied round the PDP and its Candidate, Dr Asue Ighodalo.

    He charged all PDP leaders, critical stakeholders and members in Edo to remain united, focused and continue to work hard for the victory of PDP and its candidate in the upcoming election.

    NAN

  • Alleged N1.6bn fraud: Ex-AGF, co-defendants seek adjournment to refund funds

    Alleged N1.6bn fraud: Ex-AGF, co-defendants seek adjournment to refund funds

    Flowerbud News

    Nwabuoku and his co-defendant, Felix Nweke, in the 11-count money laundering charge preferred against them by the EFCC, prayed Justice James Omotosho to halt their arraignment until another date to perfect the refund.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Nwabuoku and Nweke, a former Deputy Director in the Ministry of Defence, are being prosecuted for alleged money laundering offences to the tune of N1.6 billion.

    While Nwabuoku is the 1st defendant in the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/240/24 dated May 20 and filed May 27 by Ekele Iheanacho, Nweke is the 2nd defendant.

    They were alleged to have perpetrated the act while Nwabuoku served as the Director of Finance and Accounts in the Ministry of Defence between 2019 and 2021.

    Nwabuoku was appointed acting AGF on May 20, 2022 under ex-President Muhammadu Buhari after Ahmed Idris was suspended as AGF over alleged N80 billion fraud.

    He was, however, removed in July 2022, few weeks after assumed office.

    Sylva Okolieaboh, a Director at the Treasury Single Account (TSA) Department, replaced Nwabuoku as acting AGF.

    Okolieaboh’s appointment followed after report that Nwabuoku was under the radar of EFCC over corruption allegations.

    When the matter was called on Wednesday for the defendants to take their plea, Nwabuoku and Nweke stepped into the dock.

    However, Nweke’s lawyer, Emeka Onyeaka, informed the court that there was a new development in the case.

    Onyeaka notified the court that his client had taken steps toward settling the matter.

    The lawyer said Nweke had made substantial refunds of the money traced to him by the anti-graft agency.

    “The 2nd defendant has taken steps, as there is a communication to the commission via-a-vs the alleged offences on making refund.

    “The commission is in receipt of the money and promised to communicate to us,” he said.

    Onyeaka said, “upon being served with the charge on Monday, we communicated with the commission and we are asked to tarry for their administrative procedure.”

    He said since substantial amount had been refunded, if his client is arraigned, such action would affect the trial.

    He, therefore, prayed the court to grant them an adjournment in order to take further step on the administrative procedure.

    Maduakolam Igwe, who appeared for Nwabuoku, aligned with Onyeaka’s submission.

    Igwe said his client had equally taken same steps and that substantial amount had been refunded.

    “We have written to the commission on this. The 1st defendant has also made some refunds.

    “May I adopt the submission of my learner friend to tidy up the adminstrative procedure,” he corroborated.

    Responding, counsel who appeared for the EFCC, Ogechi Ujam, acknowledged that though the commission was in receipt of a proposal letter, she said: “However, no negotiation has been made, no settlement has been done and no agreement has been reached by parties.”

    According to her, in the circumstance, we urge this honourable court to allow us to arraign the defendants.

    “Take a date for arraignment,” Justice Omotosho responded.

    After counsel agreed, the matter was adjourned until Oct. 14 for arraignment.

    The EFCC alleged that Nwabuoku, Nweke, Temeeo Synergy Concept Limited (at large), Turge Global Investment Limited (at large), Laptev Bridge Limited (at large), Arafura Transnational Afro Limited (at large) and other persons (at large) converted funds which are proceeds of unlawful activities to personal use.

    The offence is contrary to Section 18 of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as (amended by Act No. 1 of 2012) and punishable under Section 15(2) (b) and (3) of the same Act.

    In count two, Nwabuoku, Felix, Temeeo Synergy Concept Limited (at large), between September 2019 and October, 2020 in Abuja, indirectly converted the sum of N262, 602,897.27 (Two Hundred and Sixty Two Million, Six Hundred and Two Thousand, Eight Hundred and Ninety Seven Naira Twenty Seven Kobo).

    The money was alleged to have been paid into the Zenith Bank account of Temeeo Synergy Concept Limited (at large), with account number: 1016901286, knowing that the funds constituted proceed of unlawful activity.

    The offence, the EFCC said, is contrary to Section 15(2) (b) and punishable under Section 15(3) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended by Act No. 1 of 2012), among other counts.

    NAN

  • Adamawa court remands 2 sons over alleged murder of father

    Adamawa court remands 2 sons over alleged murder of father

    Flowerbud News

    The defendants, Ibrahim Yusuf, 62 and Samaila Yusuf, 48, of Zah village in Michika Local Government Area, Adamawa, were charged on two counts of criminal conspiracy and culpable homicide.

    The Chief Magistrate, Bilikisu Tijani, who did not take the pleas of the defendants because of lack of jurisdiction, ordered their remand in the correctional centre.

    The Chief Magistrate directed that the case file should be duplicated and a copy sent to the office of the Director of Public Prosecution for legal advice.

    Tijani subsequently adjourned the case to July 30 for mention or receipt of outcome of DPP’s advice.

    “This case has been adjourned to July 30, to enable the police finish their investigation and to forward the case file to the Department of Public Prosecution (DPP)for legal advice,” the Chief Magistrate said.

    Earlier, after the First Information Report was read, the Prosecution Counsel, ASP Ezra Bulus told the court that the complainant, Amina Ibrahim, of Zah village, Michika LGA, daughter of the deceased, reported the matter at the police station on July 1, at 10:00 a.m.

    Bulus said that Ibrahim reported that on June 9, the defendants allegedly conspired and killed their father and dumped his corpse in the bush.

    The counsel said that the alleged offences were grievous crimes which required legal advice of the DPP and prayed the court to adjourn the matter until July 30.

    He stated that the offences contravened the provisions of Section160 and 191 of the Penal Code Law of Adamawa 2018

    When asked by the Chief Magistrate whether the allegations against them were true, the defendants, who had no legal representation in court, admitted to the commission of the crime.

    ”Truly we killed our father. We led him into the bush and while there we hit his head with a big stick and he died.

    “We decided to kill him because he used diabolic ways to kill six of his grandchildren in the family. He also killed some people in our community.

    “Everyone is speaking ill of our family; they call him a witch and we can’t stand the shame and hurt he has brought upon us,” the older of the siblings said.

    NAN

  • NDLEA: Marwa promotes 5,042 officers, gives awards to commands, personnel

    NDLEA: Marwa promotes 5,042 officers, gives awards to commands, personnel

    Flowerbud News

    The Chairman of NDLEA, Retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa, disclosed this while decorating some of the promoted officers with their new ranks in Abuja.

    Marwa also elevated two senior officers to Deputy Commander General of Narcotics (DCGN), 22 officers to Assistant Commander General of Narcotics (ACGN) and 66 officers as Commander of Narcotics (CN).

    He said that the promotion followed weeks of examination and interviews conducted for qualified candidates.

    The NDLEA boss said that the exercise was part of an ongoing exercise to enhance human resource management, particularly on staff motivation and welfare.

    According to him, this is for efficiency and effectiveness in the achievement of organisational goals, while prompt and timely promotion of all deserving and qualified officers remains top on my agenda.

    “I am pleased to say that we continue to wax stronger on this journey we embarked on three and a half years ago when we decided to turn around the fortunes of this agency.

    “This has been achieved by improving our performance as a precursor to reversing the perilous drug use situation in our dear country, Nigeria.

    “On this occasion of the 8th edition of the commands’ awards and commendations ceremony, we have every reason to be thankful.

    “This is because our performance continuously justifies our conviction in Offensive Action, War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) and other reforms that we undertook.

    “For our modest efforts, we have received plaudits at home and abroad. What that means is that we have to do more.

    “The reward for work well done is more work, and in our case, we cannot rest on our oars until all the objectives of our mandate are fully achieved.

    “May I remind us that the bottom-line is a drug-free Nigeria,” he said.

    Marwa said that the management would keep the officers motivated by ensuring that everything necessary was provided for a safe, secure and conducive environment for workers in the agency.

    According to him, our new barracks in Adamawa, Abuja and Lagos are almost complete and will be inaugurated soon.

    “The recent promotion of officers speaks volumes about our dedication to prompt and timely promotion of officers.

    “It is symbolic of our effort to break the jinx of stagnation, which was once an albatross for our personnel,” he said.

    NAN

  • BREAKING: New minimum wage: Tinubu, NLC, TUC meet Thursdays

    BREAKING: New minimum wage: Tinubu, NLC, TUC meet Thursdays

    Flowerbud News

    President Bola Tinubu is scheduled to meet with the Organised Labour in Abuja on Thursday for further discussions on a new minimum wage for workers in the country.

    Channels Television gathered from a Labour source that Tinubu invited the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress to the meeting expected to be held at the Aso Villa in Abuja.

    During the meeting, President Tinubu is expected to make a decision on the ₦62,000 proposal of the government and private sector side; as well as the ₦250,000 demand of the Organised Labour.

    The meeting is coming barely a month after the President said in his Democracy Day speech on June 12, 2024, that an executive bill on the new national minimum wage for workers would soon be sent to the National Assembly for passage.

    On June 25, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) chaired by the President stepped down from consideration and deliberation on the memo on the new minimum wage to allow for more engagement with stakeholders.

    Two days after, Tinubu and Vice President Kassim Shettima, at the 141st meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC), met with Governors of the 36 states of the Federation and Ministers to deliberate on a new minimum wage for workers.

    Long Walk To New Wage

    The new minimum wage for Nigerian workers has been a subject of discussions for a while. The Minimum Wage Act of 2019, which made ₦30,000 the minimum wage, expired in April 2024. The Act should be reviewed every five years to meet with contemporary economic demands of workers.

    In January, President Bola Tinubu set up a Tripartite Committee to negotiate a new minimum wage for workers. The committee comprises the Organised Labour, representatives of Federal and state governments as well as the Organised Private Sector.

    But the committee members failed to reach an agreement on a new realistic minimum wage for workers, forcing labour to declare an indefinite industrial action on Monday, June 3, 2024. Businesses were paralysed as labour shut down airports, hospitals, the national grid, banks, National Assembly, and state assemblies’ complexes.

    NLC and TUC argued that the current minimum wage of ₦30,000 can no longer cater to the well-being of an average Nigerian worker, saying the government should offer workers something economically realistic in tandem with current inflationary pressures, attendant effects of the twin policies of petrol subsidy removal and unification of the forex windows of the current administration.

    Labour suspended its strike on June 4, 2024 following assurances from the President that he was committed to a wage above ₦60,000.

    The Organised Labour leadership later resumed talks with the representatives of the Federal Government, states, and the Organised Private Sector.

    On Friday, June 7, 2024, the two sides (labour and the government) still failed to reach an agreement. While labour dropped again its demand from ₦494,000 to ₦250,000, the government added ₦2,000 to its initial ₦60,000 and offered workers ₦62,000.

    Both sides submitted their reports to the President who is expected to make a decision and send an executive bill to the National Assembly to pass a new minimum wage bill to be signed into law by the President. (Channels TV)

  • 67,603 TB patients on treatment in 9 states-official

    67,603 TB patients on treatment in 9 states-official

    Flowerbud News

    Dr Ibrahim Umar, Programme Manager, State Tuberculosis, Leprosy and Buruli Ulcer Control, made the disclosure in an interview with the NAN on Wednesday in Lagos.

    Umar listed the states to include Kano, Bauchi, Benue, FCT, Lagos, Osun, Oyo, Nasarawa and Katsina.

    According to him, Nigeria has the highest number of TB patients in Africa, with many undiagnosed and undetected patients.

    According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), tuberculosis is a contagious and potentially life-threatening infectious disease that mainly affects the lungs.

    The disease is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It spreads from person to person through the air when people with lung TB cough, sneeze or spit.

    The health agency noted that a person needed to inhale only a few germs to become infected, adding that every year, 10 million people fall ill with tuberculosis (TB).

    It added that in spite of being a preventable and curable disease, 1.5 million people die from TB each year, making it the world’s top infectious killer.

    Umar said that there was a low awareness programme of the disease, in spite of the existence of free diagnosis and treatment programmes.

    He said that a large percentage of TB patients across project states could not afford adequate nutrition required to sustain treatment adherence.

    The manager said that a large number of TB Directly Observed Therapy (DOT) centres were dilapidated, and the majority of identified Collaborative Ocular Tuberculosis (COT) centres inadequately equipped with testing equipment.

    He called for strategic collaboration with the private sector to upgrade and reactivate DOT sites in project states.

    Umar  acknowledged that Nigeria had made substantial progress in TB control, stressing that more effort was required to meet the global target of ending TB by 2030.

    ”The Nigerian government set a 50 per cent target for domestic funding for TB by 2025 against a baseline of eight per cent in 2019.

    ”Currently, we are below 20 per cent as at the end of 2023, showing we are far from our target with only one year left”, he said.

    Umar said that funding for TB was affected by over-dependence on foreign donors, coupled with shrinking resources and sub-optimal participation of the private sector in domestic resource mobilisation for response.

    ”The reason why we have this burden is because in the last few years, our population has almost tripled and also the number of patients that have TB.

    ”The number of equipment and resources that we have is not keeping pace with that number.

    ”Government alone cannot handle all the problems. Partners and other international organisations alone cannot handle all the problems”,  he said.

    He emphasised that an active participation from the private sector would strengthen TB response and put the country on track to eliminate the disease by 2030.

    NAN

  • HIGHLIGHTS OF THE GLOBAL POLITICAL EVENTS OF THE PREVIOUS WEEK (23 – 30 JUNE).

    HIGHLIGHTS OF THE GLOBAL POLITICAL EVENTS OF THE PREVIOUS WEEK (23 – 30 JUNE).

    HIGHLIGHTS OF THE GLOBAL POLITICAL EVENTS OF THE PREVIOUS WEEK (23 – 30 JUNE)

    ■ Earlier in the week, Chinese foreign affairs minister Wang Yi met with Nigerian foreign minister Yusuf Tuggar, who was in Beijing for bilateral meetings. Tuggar also met with the Chinese business community under the auspices of China-Nigeria Business Exchange.

    ■ At the end of the BRICS+ foreign ministers meeting in Nizhny Novgorod, host and foreign minister of Russia Sergey Lavrov disclosed that BRICS has paused admission of new members to focus integrating the new comers that joined early this year.

    ■ In Kenya, protests erupted over proposed tax hikes bill by President Ruto’s government. The protest, which lasted through the week, claimed more than two-dozen lives.

    ■ On Wednesday, WikiLeaks founder and journalist Julian Assange was released from detention after 14 years over his role in publishing classified U.S. materials

    ■ In Bolivia, within the week, a military coup was foiled, and the leader of the attempted putsch, Juan José Zuñiga was arrested and detained by the authorities in the country’s capital La Paz.

    ■ In China, President Xi Jinping, on different occasions, received on a state visit the Prime minister of Vietnam, Pham Minh Chinh, and Peruvian President Dina Boluarte for bilateral meetings in Beijing.

    ■ On Thursday, the most awaited presidential debate between the two U.S. frontline aspirants Joe Biden and Donald Trump was held.

    ■ In France, the Far-Right National Rally party scored historic gains to win the first round of snap legislative elections. President Macron’s Renaissance Party secured third position with about 20% of the votes.

    ■ On Sunday, in South Africa, President Cyril Ramaphosa unveiled his new coalition cabinet, appointing opposition politicians to key ministerial positions for the first time since the end of apartheid in 1994.

    ■ In Mauritania, votes are being counted after the presidential elections that took place at the weekend. Incumbent president Gazhouani is expected to win more than 56% of the total votes.

    = *Compiled by Lawal Sale (Global Affairs Analyst) from Abuja, Nigeria*.