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House backs bill to prohibit bank employees from operating foreign accounts
A bill seeking to prohibit bank employees from operating foreign accounts has passed second reading at the house of representatives. The bank employees’ declaration of assets act amendment bill also seeks to mandate the bankers to declare assets of their spouses and children less than 18 years old. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had in March ordered those in the banking sector to declare their assets in accordance with the act, raising questions as to the legality of such directive. Newsmen reported that the bank employees’ declaration of assets act requires bank board members, managing director, general managers, clerks, cashiers, messengers, cleaners, drivers, and any other category of workers — whether part‐time, casual or temporary — to declare their assets. Leadin...
Nigerian Army reshuffles senior officers in major shakeup
The Nigerian Army has redeployed some of its senior officers in a major shakeup. Outgoing Army spokesperson, Mohammed Yerima, a brigadier general, made this known in a statement on Thursday. Notable amongst the new appointments was that of C.G. Musa, a major general, who was named the new Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai, the counter insurgency operation in the North-east region. Also, Onyema Nwachukwu, a brigadier general, has now been appointed as the army spokesperson. Another brigadier general, A.M. Umar, was named the chief of staff to the COAS. The reshuffle, considered normal when there is a new leadership in the force, was expected when the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Faruk Yahaya, a major general, was appointed on May 27. He replaced the late COAS, Ibrahim Attahiru, who di...
ASUP: Why we suspended strike after 65 days
The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has suspended its 65 days industrial strike with effect from Thursday, following an agreement reached between the union and the federal government. A statement by Mr Abdullahi Yalwa, National Publicity Secretary of ASUP and made available to newsmen in Bauchi, announced on Wednesday. According to the statement, “the suspension of the strike action was for a period of three months, to enable the government complete the implementation of the issues contained in the Memorandum of Action signed with the Union. “Following an appraisal of the report indicating the gradual implementation of the items contained in the Memorandum of Action signed between our Union and the Federal Government, the Union has resolved to suspend its 65 days old industrial...
NPC: Census will not consider religion, ethnicity
The National Population Commission says the population census will not take into consideration the number of adherents of any religion or the number of members of ethnic groups. It, therefore, denied including a religious category in the questionnaires being distributed in the first pre-test exercise for the next population and housing census in the country. The Director, Public Affairs of the NPC, Udi Joseph, said this in a statement on Wednesday while reacting to viral Whatsapp messages claiming the NPC had made two separate categories for Muslims and one category for Christians in its questionnaire. In a statement titled, ‘NPC Refutes Fake News on Religion in Census Questionnaires’, the organisation said even in previous population census exercises, religion and ethnicity were not consi...
Bauchi governor sacks commissioners, SSG, chief of staff, advisers
Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, has approved with immediate effect the dissolution the State Executive Council (SEC). The affected political appointees included the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Chief of Staff (COS) and all Special Advisers except the Special Adviser Security, Special Adviser National and State Assembly Liaison, Special Adviser Social Investment and Special Adviser Media and Publicity. This is contained in a Press release signed by Comrade Mukhtar Gidado, Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the Governor which was made available to newsmen Wednesday in Bauchi. According to the governor, all commissioners are to hand over the affairs of their ministries to their respective Permanent Secretaries, while the Secretary to the State Government, Chief ...
Nigerian government asks judiciary, parliamentary staff to call off strike
The Federal Government has directed members of the striking Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) and the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) to “urgently” call off their over-two-month-old strike. The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, gave the directive in a statement on Tuesday, threatening that the government might be forced to invoke “sections of the Trade Disputes Acts” if the strike persisted longer. The threat is a government’s familiar warning of possible introduction of “no-work-no-pay” policy to break adamant striking workers. “The ministry will not be happy to be pushed into invoking sections of the Trade Disputes Acts capable of eroding all the gains made so far in the negotiations since May 6, 2021,” the statement signed by the ministry of Labou...
Palestinian teen bears scar of eviction battle in East Jerusalem
Jana Kiswani, a 16-year-old Palestinian, was entering her home in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah when an Israeli police officer shot her in the back with a sponge-tipped bullet, her family said. Her spine fractured, the teen bears testimony to the tensions and violence surrounding an Israeli court-ordered eviction of eight Palestinian families from homes claimed by Jewish settlers. Last month, the Sheikh Jarrah dispute helped to trigger 11 days of intense fighting between Israel and Gaza’s ruling Hamas militant group, and frequent protests and confrontations with Israeli police in the neighbourhood have kept tensions high. Clashes were under way in Sheikh Jarrah on May 18 when Kiswani was shot. She said she was obeying police orders to go inside when the police officer f...
UN: 64% of married Nigerian women lack sexual, reproductive rights
The United Nations Fund for Population Affairs (UNFPA) has said that an estimated 64 per cent of married women in Nigeria are unable to enforce their sexual and reproductive health rights. It said that only about 46 per cent of married women in Nigeria between the age of 15 and 49 years are in a position to make personal decisions regarding their sexual and reproductive health rights. UNFPA said that whereas 56 per cent of the married women have decisions about their healthcare made mainly by their husbands, 33 per cent make such decisions jointly with their husbands. The world body, which issued a report on the state of bodily autonomy for women across the world, said only 56 per cent of married women in Nigeria can say no to their husbands if they do not want to have sexual intercourse. ...
India warns Twitter of consequences if it fails to follow new rules
India’s government has told Twitter it could face “unintended consequences” if it fails to comply with the country’s new social media rules, Reuters reported. India’s technology minister wrote in a June 5th letter to Twitter that the company’s responses to previous government letters about the new rules did not confirm whether Twitter was in full compliance, according to Reuters. Under India’s Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code, which took effect in May, social media companies could be subject to legal action if they fail to follow the code’s provisions, which are aimed at regulating the platforms’ content. The new rules call for platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and WhatsApp to remove content within 36 hours of receiving a legal order. The rules also require the compani...
CJN demands NJC’s involvement in fixing, reviewing of judge’s salary
The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Muhammad, has admonished the National Assembly to alter the constitution to mandate the National Judicial Council (NJC) to be involved in the fixing and reviewing of salaries and other emoluments of judges in the country. The CJN, who decried the non review of their salaries in the last 13 years by the Salaries and Wages Commission, also asked for the review of their salaries every four years. He also wants the NJC to collect, control and disburse all monies, capital and recurrent for the judiciary. Justice Muhammad’s demands were contained in the paper he presented as part of recommendations on behalf of the Judiciary at the national public hearing by Senate Committee on Review of the 1999 Constitution held at the Africa Hall of the Inte...
Zamfara governor suspends monarch
Zamfara state governor, Dr Bello Mohammed Matawalle has suspended the Emir of Dansadau in Maru local government area, Alhaji Hussaini Umar with immediate effect. This is contained in a statement by the Special Adviser Public Enlightenment, Media and Communications, Alhaji Zailani Bappa. “His Excellency, Governor Bello Mohammed (Matawallen Maradun, Barden Hausa, Shattiman Sakkwato) has approved the suspension of His Royal Highness, the Emir of Dansadau, Alhaji Hussaini Umar with immediate effect. “Governor Matawalle further approves that the District Head of Dansadau, Alhaji Nasiru Muhammad S/Kudu will oversee the affairs of the Emirate. “Similarly, the District Head of Nasarawa Mailayi Alhaji Bello Wakkala has been suspended from Office. His suspension is also with immediate effect,” he sa...
Ebonyi governor sacks over 1,000 board members, aides
Ebonyi State Governor David Umahi has dissolved all boards and commissions in the state with immediate effect. He announced this during his 2021 anniversary day address to the people of the state. Also sacked are management Committee members, liaison officers and local government advisory committee at all the 64 local government areas and 171 wards in the state. Also affected by the sack are all the Executive Assistants, Technical Assistants and Senior Technical Assistants to the governor. Put together, those sacked are over 1000. The sack comes barely 24 hours after the governor sacked 83 members of the state executive council. He however noted that some statutory boards are not affected by the dissolution. They include Judiciary Service Commission, House of Assembly Service Commission, C...
