Amendment
Senator Lawan: Electoral Act amendment ready by early 2021
Senate President Ahmed Lawan on Wednesday said an amendment to the nation’s electoral law would be ready by next year. At the public hearing on the repeal of the Electoral Act 2010 and enactment of the 2020 Electoral Act, held in Abuja yesterday, Mr. Lawan said that the Electoral Act Amendment Bill will be passed by the first quarter of 2021. Mr. Lawan added that the passing of this legislation would enable the 2020 Electoral Act to be tested ahead of the elections to check its efficacy. “A free fair and credible election in 2023 is doable; we just have to remain focused,” Mr. Lawan said. “I have participated in several elections since 1999 and none of them has been the same. I have had different experiences. It means we always have some new emerging problems.” The joint hearing was organi...
National Assembly to make smart card reader compulsory in future elections
File Photo The National Assembly plans to make the use of Smart Card Reader compulsory in future elections in Nigeria, a lawmaker has said. The Chairperson of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Aishatu Dukku, said this at a Joint Public Hearing on “The Bill for an Act to repeal the Electoral Act 2010 (As Amended) and enact the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Act, 2020″, on Wednesday in Abuja. The event was organised by the National Assembly Joint Committee on INEC and Electoral Matters. Ms Dukku said the amendment will affect about 300 clauses in the Act. ” In Section 49 of the Electoral Act 2010 under Use of Ballot Paper, Subsection (1) and (2) are to be amended to read: “A person intending to vote in an election shall present himself with his voter’s card to a pre...
Bill to extend free education to senior secondary school passes second reading
A Bill for an Act to amend the Compulsory, Free, Universal Basic Education Act on Wednesday, passed second reading in the House of Representatives. The bill, which seeks to expand the scope of compulsory free basic education in Nigeria to include, Senior Secondary Education level, was sponsored by Taiwo Oluga and four other lawmakers. Leading the debate, Ms Oluga said the bill sought to amend sections 2, 4, 7, 11 and 15 of the existing Act. The lawmaker said the aim was to provide for rehabilitation of delinquent children and provide comprehensive definition for services, stakeholders, children or wards as captured in the existing Act. According to her, this will be done by providing a role for community based organisations in the development of basic education in states and local governme...
Senator Omo-Agege: Why National Assembly cannot produce new constitution for Nigeria
Deputy President of Senate Ovie Omo-Agege has declared that the National Assembly has no power to replace the current constitution with new one. Omo-Agege’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Yomi Odunuga, in a statement on Wednesday said the deputy senate president made the remark when he hosted members of the Alliance of Nigerian Patriots led by Amb. Umunna Orjiako. Omo-Agege, who is Chairman, Senate Ad hoc Committee on Constitution Review, said the National Assembly had no powers to replace the current constitution, but could only amend it. He cited advanced democracies, such as the U.S., where Nigeria’s presidential system of government was modelled after and sections 8 and 9 of the 1999 Constitution as amended to buttress his argument. The lawmaker said what was only obtainabl...
NUC mandates UI to appoint acting vice-chancellor
Following the crisis that trailed the selection of a new Vice-Chancellor for the University of Ibadan, UI, that led to the process becoming inconclusive. the National Universities Commission, NUC, has directed the Governing Council of the university to appoint an Acting Vice-Chancellor to take over from the outgoing Vice-Chancellor, Professor Idowu Olayinka, on Monday, November 30. The directive became expedient, following the deadlock in the appointment of a new VC to replace Olayinka, whose term expires on Monday. The Executive Secretary of NUC, Professor Abubakar Rasheed, in a letter dated 27th November 2020 and addressed to the Pro-Chancellor of the University, said the appointment of an acting vice-chancellor was to avoid a vacuum in the administration of the university. The letter, s...
INEC chief wants Senate to accelerate Electoral Act amendment
The nominee for the position of Chairperson for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, has appealed to the National Assembly to expeditiously pass the Electoral Act Amendment Bill before the end of first quarter of 2021. Yakubu made the call in Abuja on Thursday when he appeared before the Senate Committee on INEC for screening. President Muhammadu Buhari had on Wednesday sought Senate’s confirmation of Yakubu as INEC chairperson for a second term. Yakubu said the passage of the Electoral Act was critical for the success of the 2023 general elections and ultimately the nation’s electoral system. He said that INEC under his leadership had recommended some areas of amendments in the Electoral Act. He said that if confirmed, INEC under his watch would consolidat...
Governor Wike: Nigeria’ll be on fire if President Buhari fails to restructure
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has stated that the nation would be on fire if President Muhammadu Buhari fails to use the available opportunity to restructure the nation, urging the president to heed the clamour for fiscal federalism and restructuring to douse brewing tension in the country. The governor also advised the president to genuinely address the concerns and grievances expressed by stakeholders in the South-South and those of other geopolitical zones during the meeting with federal government delegation led by Chief of Staff to the President, Professor Ibrahim Gambari. Wike, who spoke Thursday on a television interview tasked the President to use the opportunity to address pressing issues affecting the stability of the country. Wike said: “President Buhari, has an opportunit...
Indian farmers protest against farm laws
Police in India’s northern states Punjab and Haryana on Thursday had to stop the farmers at different inter-state borders from entering Delhi, who planned to protest against the recently passed farm laws. The protesting farmers contend that the three farm laws were detrimental to their interests. On the other hand, the federal government said the new laws aimed at “liberalizing” the farm sector and promising more incomes to farmers. A large number of farmers’ organizations in Haryana and Punjab states had called for a two-day protest in Delhi on Thursday and Friday. TV footages showed the farmers breaking the barricades installed by the police personnel. Some even threw the barricades into a river, while the police dispersed the farmers using water-canons and teargas shells. Thousands of f...
Senate moves to make law schools beneficiaries of education tax fund
The Senate has begun moves to ensure that all the Nigerian Law Schools are beneficiaries of Education tax funds with the amendment of Tertiary Education Trust Fund Act 2007. Consequently, the Senate has come up with ” A bill for an Act to amend the Tertiary Education Trust Fund Act 2007.” The Bill Scaled second reading yesterday in the Senate. In his lead debate on the bill, Senator Micheal Opeyemi Bamidele, APC Ekiti Central, sponsor of said that the bill which was read for the first time on the floor of the Senate on Thursday, 28th May, 2020, seeks to amend sections 4, 7 and 20 of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (Establishment, Etc.) Act, 2011 (hereinafter referred to as the “principal Act”) He said that amendment also seeks to add the Nigerian Law School, as one of the benefiting tert...
German police clash with protesters angry at Angela Merkel’s coronavirus law
German police unleashed water cannon and pepper spray in an effort to scatter thousands of protesters angry about a new legal framework for enforcing coronavirus restrictions passed by parliament on Wednesday. The post German police clash with protesters angry at Angela Merkel’s coronavirus law appeared first on TODAY. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in the process. Earn rewards by chatting, sharing photos, blogging and help give users back their fair share of Internet revenue.
President Buhari signs amended executive order on voluntary overseas asset declaration
President Muhammadu Buhari has signed the 2018 Amended Executive Order 008 on Voluntary Offshore Assets Regularization Scheme (VOARS). Dr Umar Gwandu, Special Assistant to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice on Media and Public Relations disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja. “As a result of stakeholders input and need to strengthen implementation mechanisms and structures, the Order was reviewed. “Consequently, the Amendment to the Executive Order 008 was signed on May 20 by President Buhari’’. He said the Executive Order 008 as amended mandated the Attorney-General of the Federation to set up and implement a Voluntary Offshore Assets Regularisation Scheme otherwise referred to as `VOARS’. “VOARS gives all relevant persons and their intermediaries who have default...
