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Senate Vows To Correct Structural Imbalance In Constitution 

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Senate Vows To Correct Structural Imbalance In Constitution

Senate vows to correct structural imbalance in constitution. The Senate committee on the 1999 Constitutional Review has promised far-reaching constitutional reforms to correct long-standing structural imbalance in the federation and deepen Nigeria’s democracy

The Senate committee on the 1999 Constitutional Review has promised far-reaching constitutional reforms to correct long-standing structural imbalance in the federation and deepen Nigeria’s democracy.

Senator Jibrin Barau, the chairman of the committee, made the pledge at the South-West Zonal Public Hearing on the 1999 Constitution Review in Lagos on Friday.

A public hearing is taking place simultaneously across Nigeria’s six geo-political zones.

It is taking place in Enugu, Kano, Jos, Ikeja, Ikot-Ekpene (Cross River) and Maiduguri.

Mr Barau, represented by Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, Senate majority leader, said the review was important since some fundamental issues remained unresolved.
The deputy Senate president said that the National Assembly had a duty to address citizens’ calls for amendment of the constitution.

According to him, in response to growing demands, the 10th Senate constituted the 1999 Constitution Review Committee to address citizens’ calls for amendments to the constitution.

“We have received hundreds of memoranda addressing key issues that were not resolved by previous amendments, mainly due to a lack of national consensus and evolving dynamics of modern governance.

“Key issues which need to be addressed include electoral reforms and adjudication; judicial reforms focused on case management and administration; enhancements to local government administration,” he said.

The senator listed the other issues to include the involvement of the traditional institution in contemporary governance,  and ensuring gender equity and inclusion in governance.

“Others are the devolution and distribution of power, the structure of our federation, and concerns related to security and policing,” he said.

Mr Barau said that the issues had continued to dominate public discourse, with many Nigerians advocating a legislative action to address them.

Mr Barau urged stakeholders present at the public hearing to see their participation as a contribution to the advancement of democratic practices and shaping of  national destiny.

He said the committee’s mandate was to foster a broad national consensus rather than echo the voice of a powerful minority.

Senate

Senate

Abiola Akiode-Afolabi, speaking on behalf of civil society organisations, called for a deliberate policy to implement the 35 per cent affirmative action for women in government.

Ms Akiode-Afolabi, the executive director of the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Center,  said there was a need to implement the affirmative action.

She urged the Bola Tinubu administration to assent to the National Gender Policy to agree on the 35 per cent affirmative action.

The event was attended by stakeholders from the South-West geo-political zone.

They include Lagos deputy governor, Obafemi Hamzat, senators, members of civil society organisations, traditional leaders and community leaders.

Abuja

FCTA Confirms Antivenom Stock, Warns Negligent Hospitals, Gives Emergency Lines

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FCTA

FCTA Confirms Antivenom Stock, Warns Negligent Hospitals, Gives Emergency Lines

FCTA confirms antivenom stock, warns negligent hospitals, gives emergency lines. The FCTA said all public hFCTA confirms antivenom stock, warns negligent hospitals, gives emergency linesospitals have sufficient antivenom after singer Ifunanya Nwangene’s death at FMC Jabi. Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe warned facilities to follow protocols or face sanctions, stressing that early treatment is critical.

FCTA

FCTA

The territory has added 12 ambulances, improved ICUs, and centralized antivenom storage.

Residents are urged to use emergency lines 090157892931 or 090157892932.

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Abuja

FCT Police Warn NLC Against Planned Abuja Protest, Say Proscribed Groups Plot To Hijack

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Police

FCT Police Warn NLC Against Planned Abuja Protest, Say Proscribed Groups Plot To Hijack

FCT Police warn NLC against planned Abuja protest, say proscribed groups plot to hijack. The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) police command has warned the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) against its planned protest scheduled for Tuesday in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

The NLC leadership had fixed February 3 for a solidarity rally along with members of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria and the Joint Union Action Committee (JUAC) at the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) secretariat in Garki Area 11.

The NLC declared that the rally is to publicly affirm that “an injury to one is an injury to all”, adding that the Nigerian labour movement will not abandon its members.

On January 24, the labour body declared support for the indefinite strike by workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), describing the action as “necessary and heroic” in response to alleged violation of workers’ rights.

In a statement, Joe Ajaero, NLC president, said the labour union stood “in very strong solidarity” with FCTA workers under the aegis of JUAC.

Ajaero described the strike as “a necessary and heroic response to a vicious cocktail of neoliberal attacks, gross administrative impunity, and a systematic violation of the fundamental rights of workers by the FCTA management and its political leadership”.

However, in a statement on Monday, Josephine Adeh, FCT police spokesperson, said the command respects the constitutional right to peaceful assembly, but noted that intelligence reports indicate “plans by proscribed groups and other non-state actors to infiltrate and hijack the protest, posing a risk to public peace and safety”.

Adeh said in the interest of public safety, the organisers should consider rescheduling the protest to prevent any breakdown of law and order and to protect lives, property, and the rights of other residents.

Police

Police

“The Command remains committed to safeguarding all lawful activities and urges residents to continue cooperating with security agencies to keep the FCT peaceful and secure,” the statement reads.
Meanwhile, the national industrial court has reportedly issued an interim order restraining the NLC, TUC and JUAC from embarking on the planned protest.

The court had earlier ordered workers on the payroll of the FCT administration to suspend the strike.

Emmanuel Subilim, the presiding judge, held that although the matter before the court amounted to a trade dispute, the defendants’ right to embark on industrial action was not absolute.

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Abuja

Akwa Ibom Indigenes Protest RMAFC Meeting, Warn Against Tampering With State’s Oil Wells

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Akwa Ibom Indigenes Protest RMAFC Meeting

Akwa Ibom Indigenes Protest RMAFC Meeting, Warn Against Tampering With State’s Oil Wells

Akwa Ibom indigenes protest RMAFC meeting, warn against tampering with State’s Oil Wells. Akwa Ibom indigenes resident in Abuja on Tuesday stormed the venue of a meeting of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), where the Inter-Agency Technical Committee (IATC) on Disputed/New Oil Wells was sitting, to protest what they described as attempts to reopen a matter already settled by the Supreme Court.

The protesters cautioned that no individual or agency should tamper with Akwa Ibom State’s 76 oil wells, stressing that the ownership of the wells was conclusively determined in favour of the state by the Supreme Court in 2012.

They insisted that any move to revisit the issue through administrative or technical processes would amount to a disregard for the authority of the apex court and could undermine peace in the Niger Delta region.

Akwa Ibom State was formally represented at the IATC meeting by a high-powered delegation comprising leading legal practitioners, government officials and technocrats. Members of the delegation included Paul Usoro, SAN; Assam Assam, SAN; the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Uko Udom, SAN; Uwemedimo Nwoko, SAN; Emmanuel Enoidem, SAN; and a former Attorney-General of Akwa Ibom State.

Akwa Ibom Indigenes Protest RMAFC Meeting

Akwa Ibom Indigenes Protest RMAFC Meeting

Also on the state’s delegation were the Commissioner for Finance, Mr Emem Bob, Former Attorney General and Commissioner Justice, Barr. Ekpenyong Ntekim; the Commissioner for Information, Dr. Aniekan Umanah; Honourable Member representing Ikot Ekpene Federal Constituency, Dr Patrick Umoh, among others.

The delegation is expected to present Akwa Ibom State’s position before the committee, reiterating that the Supreme Court judgment remains final and binding, and urging all relevant federal agencies to respect and uphold the ruling.

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