Aminu Ado Bayero Replaces Sanusi II As Emir Of Kano [LEADERSHIP]
Kano State government yesterday announced the appointment of Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, as the 15th Emir of Kano.
He replaces Muhammadu Sanusi II who was deposed as the 14th monarch of the emirate by the state government on grounds of allegations bordering on “total disrespect to lawful instructions from the office of the governor”.
Until his appointment as the new Emir of Kano, Bayero, the eldest Son of the late Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, was the Emir of Bichi, one of the new emirates created the state governor, Abdullahi Ganduje.
The appointment of the new royal father and the dethronement of Sanusi II were announced at a special sitting of the Kano executive council meeting chaired by the state governor.
In a statement he issued to this effect, secretary to the state government (SSG), Usman Alhaji, noted that the removal was with immediate effect.
He said this followed the selection of the new Emir by the four notable kingmakers of Kano and the outright approval by the state governor.
According to the SSG, the governor acted based on the powers conferred on him in section 11 sub section 1 of the Kano Emirate Council law.
The king makers are Alhaji Muktar Adnan (Sarkin Bai of Kano), Makama Abdullahi (Sarki Yola), Alhaji Yusuf Nabahani Cigari (Sarkin Dawaki Mai Tuta) and Alhaji Bello Abubakar.
The statement noted: “The Kano State Executive Council under the chairmanship of His Excellency, the Governor of Kano State, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has unanimously approved the immediate removal/dethronement of the Emir of Kano Emirate, Muhammad Sanusi II.
“The Emir of Kano is in total disrespect to lawful instructions from the office of the State Governor and other lawful authorities, including his persistent refusal to attend official meetings and programmes organised by the Government without any lawful justification which amount to total insubordination.
“It is on record and in so many instances Mallam Muhammad Sanusi II has been found breaching part 3 section 13 (a-e) of the Kano State Emirate Law 2019 and which if left unchecked will destroy the good and established image of the Kano Emirate.
Oshiomhole Stays Away As Police Reopen APC Secretariat [LEADERSHIP]
The shut national secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the leadership crisis rocking the ruling party was reopened by the police yesterday.
The party’ national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, who is at the centre of the crisis, did not show up in his office.
However, the APC acting national secretary, Chief Victor Gaidom, who was suspended by the Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee (NWC)), was the first and only national officer to arrive at the secretariat about 9:30am and made straight for his office.
Throughout the period that Giadom stayed at the secretariat, both Oshiomhole and his loyalists did not show up.
Security remained tight around the secretariat as members of staff and visitors were screened and tagged before they were allowed to enter the building.
This is as the party debunked media reports that the NWC had been factionalised.
It insisted that as a political organisation, there were bound to be contestations of sorts and assured Nigerians that current leadership crisis would be resolved.
This was contained in a statement signed by the APC national publicity secretary, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu.
He said: ”In a political organisation such as the APC, contestations are not unusual and are not necessarily intractable. The issues being alluded to in the media reports are matters before the courts and should be allowed to run their normal and legal course. The exaggerated story foreboding Armageddon is far-fetched.
”We call on members of the National Working Committee (NWC) and the party’s secretariat staff to resume at their offices and continue carrying out their scheduled roles and responsibilities without any fear.
”Finally, we thank the inspector-general of police (IGP), Mohammed Abubakar Adamu, personnel of the Police, Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies for their professionalism in the process of maintaining the peace and preventing hoodlums from fomenting trouble at the APC national secretariat.
Meanwhile, the chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Finance, Hon. James Faleke, has called for an end to the leadership crisis rocking the APC.
Coronavirus Threatens N2trn Revenue Target From Maritime Sector [LEASERSHIP]
The federal government’s plan to generate the sum of N2trillion from the maritime industry is being threatened by the outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19), which has spread across continents, claiming thousands of lives.
Since the disease broke in China in December 2019, there has been a decline in the volume of import and export cargoes.
Consequently, financial analysts have predicted that there would be a corresponding drop in government revenue as federal agencies such as the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), the Nigerian Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Nigerian Agriculture Quarantine Services (NAQS) among others that generate revenue from authorising the release of cargoes, would also lose revenue significantly.
The federal government had given the NCS a revenue target of N1.5 trillion which the service has jacked up to N2 trillion.
The NCS in 2019 generated N1.341 trillion, thereby exceeding its target of N937 billion by N404 billion.
NCS also generated N1.20 trillion in 2018, but the outbreak of the coronavirus may make the N2 trillion revenue target, a mirage. NPA had in 2017 generated N299.56 billion and N118 billion in seven months in 2018. NIMASA in 2018 contributed a total of N22 billion to the Federation Account.
But, these revenue generating agencies, according to investigation won’t raise as much this year because vessels call into the seaports have reduced significantly due to fear of the spread of the virus.
Ganduje Dethrones, Banishes Sanusi, Appoints Ado Bayero’s Son New Emir [PUNCH]
The Kano State Governor, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, on Monday, dethroned the 14th Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, after the traditional ruler’s five years on the throne.
The Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Usman Alhaji, in a statement in Kano on Monday, stated that the removal of Sanusi, whose grandfather, Muhammadu Sanusi I, was deposed in 1963, was unanimously approved by the state executive council.
Before the state government announced Sanusi’s dethronement at 11am on Monday, there were signs that a major decision was in the offing as heavily armed security agents were drafted to the major parts of the city, including the palace of the monarch.
About six hours after Sanusi was deposed, the state government announced Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, a son of the 13th Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, who died in 2014, as the successor to the dethroned monarch.
The state government as early as 8am had invited journalists to the Government House for what a top officer said was “an important state matter.”
Sanusi Showed Total Disrespect To The Office Of Gov —State Govt [PUNCH]
Reading the statement, which conveyed the dethronement of Sanusi, the secretary to the state government stated that the emir was dethroned for “total disrespect to lawful instructions from the office of the state governor and other lawful authorities, including his persistent refusal to attend official meetings and programmes organised by the government without any lawful justification which amount to total insubordination.”
He further alleged that Sanusi breached part 3 section 13 (a-e) of the Kano State Emirate Law 2019, adding that if left unchecked the deposed monarch would “destroy the good and established image of the Kano Emirate.
“This removal is made after due consultation with the relevant stakeholders and in compliance with part 3 section 13 of the Kano State Emirate Law 2019 and other reasons stated above.
“This removal was reached in order to safeguard the sanctity, culture, tradition, religion and prestige of the Kano Emirate built over thousand years.”
FG To Revisit $57 Crude Oil Benchmark Price [SUN]
The Federal Government has announced that it will revisit the crude oil benchmark price of $53 per barrel used to prepare the 2020 budget.
This announcement came on the heels of the crash of crude oil price in the international market from $53 per barrel to $31 per barrel.
The 2020 budget was predicated on crude oil bench of $57 per barrel and daily production capacity of 2.1 million barrels per day.
This is even as President Buhari has set up a committee, headed by the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, to review the impact of coronavirus on the economy.
Members of the committee are the Minister of State Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, and his colleague in the Minister of State, Budget and National Planning, Clement Agba.
Others are Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele and the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mela Kyari.
The committee is to submit its report on Tuesday or Wednesday at the Federal Executive Council meeting.
COVID-19: Health Minister Confirms New Case [SUN]
Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, yesterday, confirmed the country’s second case of coronavirus in Benin City, Edo State.
At a press conference at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), the minister said the new case was that of a person who had physical contact with the Italian man who was Nigeria’s first confirmed coronavirus patient.
“On March 8, scientists confirmed the presence of Coronavirus in one of the contacts. It is my duty to announce a new case of the Coronavirus disease in Nigeria and the newly confirmed case is an Ogun State contact of the index case but he has no significant clinical symptoms.It brings the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Nigeria to two.
“Since the beginning of the outbreak in China and its subsequent spread to other countries, one of the important response strategies at the containment stage, has been to identify all contacts, ensure their strict isolation, and follow up the way you check for every symptom of the disease,”Ehanire said.
He said all contacts of the index case in Ogun and Lagos would remain in isolation even as he assured that testing would be carried out on those not yet tested but who had contacts with the Italian.
He also assured of the commitment of the Federal Ministry of Health and the Lagos and Ogun states ministries of health to do all that was required to control the outbreak and spread of coronavirus in Nigeria.
APC Official Urges Buhari To Intervene In Party Crisis [SUN]
An appeal has gone to President Muhammadu Buhari and other party leaders to wade into the crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Yekini Nabena, told newsmen in Abuja, yesterday, that everything must be done to restore peace and orderliness to the party.
A major crisis had engulfed the party with some members of the National Working Committee (NWC) and declared as illegal, an emergency National Executive Committee (NEC), meeting scheduled for March 17.
Last Wednesday, the lingering leadership crisis took a new turn after a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court barred Oshiomhole from acting as national chairman following an application by some party members that he had been suspended by his ward in Etsako, Edo State.
2 Killed, 8 Injured As Abattoir’s Fence Collapsed In Lagos [SUN]
Two persons were yesterday killed by a collapsed fence of an abattoir at Oko-Oba in Lagos State while eight others sustained injuries.
The divisional police officer in charge of the Abattoir Police Station Kenneth Iyayi, said that those injured were promptly taken to Merit Hospital at Oko-Oba and the General Hospital, Ile-Epo in Oke-Odo area of the state for treatment.
It was reported that the debris of the collapsed fence were yet to be cleared while the business of slaughtering cows was in progress.
An abattoir worker, Ishiaku Onatunde, told newsmen that the incident was as a result of weak foundation of the fence.
“Ideally, the government should have constructed the fence on a strong foundation knowing that we use a lot of water in our daily routine as slaughterers,” he said.
Onatunde said that the workers had met with the management of the abattoir, Harmony Abattoir Investment Limited, to ask for compensation for the victims of the collapsed fence.
He, however, said that the managers of the abattoir said that the company had no resources to compensate the victims. Also, the Managing Director of Harmony Abattoir Investment simply identified as Mr. Bello confirmed that the death was as a result of the collapsed fence.
But said that he could not give more details about the situation because that would be done by the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Public Affairs Office in the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. Jide Lawal, said that he was not authorised to give details of the incident; that he would have to be authorised by the Commissioner for the Ministry of Agriculture before he could speak with the press on the matter.
State Chairmen Back Oshiomhole [THE NATION]
All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole on Monday got the support of critical stakeholders in the party – the Forum of State Chairmen – in his battle against forces bent on getting him out of office.
They passed a vote of confidence in his leadership, saying their position is in defence of the sanctity of the party’s constitution.
A statement by Forum chair Ali Bukar Dolari, Borno State Chairman and Secretary Dr Ben Nwoye, Enugu State chairman, said: “We the Executive Members of the Forum of State Chairmen of All Progressives Congress, APC met on 9th March 2020 in Abuja and resolved that the Forum will stand firmly behind the National Chairman of our great party, Comrade Adams Aliu Oshiomhole, and to defend the sanctity of the constitution of our great party with regards to upholding its supremacy.
“Comrade Oshiomhole has positioned and fortified the party to the admiration of all to stand for and win elections in majority of the States in Nigeria as witnessed in the 2019 elections.
“It is on record that the party under the leadership of Comrade Oshiomhole won more elections in the country as exemplified in the 2019 general elections.
Budget 2020 Cut Inevitable, Says Minister [THE NATION]
A downward review of the N10.57 trillion 2020Appropriation Act is inevitable, the Federal Government said on Monday.
The adverse effects of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) on the economy, especially the sliding crude oil prices, is responsible for the decision.
Finance, Budget and National Planning Minister Zainab Ahmed dropped the hint at the State House in Abuja after an emergency meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari.
At the meeting were: Minister of State for Finance Clement Agba; Minister of State for Petroleum Resources Timipre Sylva; Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Group Managing Director Mele Kyari.
They deliberated on the consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak on the economy.
Briefing reporters on the issues discussed with the President, Mrs. Ahmed, who is the chairman of the Committee, said the group has a mandate to do a quick assessment of the impact of the outbreak of COVID-19 on the nation’s economy, especially as it affects crude oil benchmark price.
According to her, the committee would today submit its findings to the President, adding that the quantum of the cut on the budget would depend on what the assessment reveals.
She said: “We just met with the President to discuss the matter of the impact of the Coronavirus on our economy and Mr. President has formed us into a committee, with the Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, the GMD NNPC and myself as members.
”Our mandate is to make a quick assessment of the impact of this Coronavirus on the economy, especially as it affects the crude oil price. We will be writing a report and brief Mr. President tomorrow (today) or Wednesday (tomorrow) morning and after that we’ll also have more substantial information for the press.
“But it is very clear that we will have to revisit the crude oil benchmark price that we have at $57 per barrel, we have to revisit it and lower the price. Where it will be lowered to is the subject of the work of this Committee.
“What the impact will be on that is that there will be reduced revenue to the budget and it will mean cutting the size of the budget. The quantum of the cut is what we are supposed to assess as a committee.
“This is just an initial update to inform you on the directives that we have and subsequently we will be sending a report to the President, after which we will be briefing the press on the actions that government will be taking.”
80 Yahoo Boys Arrested As EFCC Raids Hotel, Strip Bar [THE NATION]
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested a hotelier Oladimeji Olusegun Ogunfolaju and 79 others in Ikorodu, Lagos for alleged involvement in internet fraud.
According to the Commission, Ogunfolaju owns Lakers Hotel and Lake County Entertainment in Ikorodu, where The Nation learnt the suspects were arrested on Saturday, March 7, 2020, during a raid.
The commission alleged that the hotel, which houses a nightclub and a strip bar, was built in 2017 with proceeds of internet fraud.
It claimed that the hotel was “a haven for internet fraudsters and was guarded by armed security men who took to their heels on sighting the EFCC operatives.”
About 60 of the suspects have volunteered useful information, leading to further investigation, the EFCC said.
It said the items recovered from the suspects at the point of arrest included exotic cars, jewellery, mobile phones and some documents.
Why Legislative Immunity Is Unnecessary For Principal Officers [THE GUARDIAN]
Recently, the House of Representatives began the process of passing a bill seeking to grant immunity to principal officers of the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly. Assistant Editor, Law and Foreign Affairs, JOSEPH ONYEKWERE reports that many Nigerian lawyers are opposed to the move and consider it unnecessary at this time.
Possibly motivated by the travails of the immediate past president of the senate, Bukola Saraki, who endured an extremely unpleasant court trial for the substantial part of his four year reign over alleged breach of code of conduct and forgery of Senate rules and or the quest to enjoy similar privileges as the head of the executive arm of government, Nigerian lawmakers are now pushing to insert immunity in the constitution for its principal officers.
The bill is titled ‘Bill for an Act to Alter Section 308 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to Extend Immunity to Cover Presiding Officers of Legislative Institutions.’ Penultimate Tuesday, the House of Representatives passed the bill for a second reading. The bill sponsored by Olusegun Odebunmi, lawmaker representing Ogo-Oluwa/Surulere Federal Constituency of Oyo State seeks to alter Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution, which precludes the president and vice president as well as governors and their deputies from both civil and criminal trial while in office. They now want the section to extend the immunity to cover presiding officers of legislative institutions.
Section 308 provides as follows under subsection (1) “Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Constitution, but subject to subsection (2) of this section -(a) no civil or criminal proceedings shall be instituted or continued against a person to whom this section applies during his period of office; (b) a person to whom this section applies shall not be arrested or imprisoned during that period either in pursuance of the process of any court or otherwise; and(c) no process of any court requiring or compelling the appearance of a person to whom this section applies, shall be applied for or issued: Provided that in ascertaining whether any period of limitation has expired for the purposes of any proceedings against a person to whom this section applies, no account shall be taken of his period of office.”
Subsection (2) says: “The provisions of subsection (1) of this section shall not apply to civil proceedings against a person to whom this section applies in his official capacity or to civil or criminal proceedings in which such a person is only a nominal party. (3) This section applies to a person holding the office of President or Vice-President, Governor or Deputy Governor; and the reference in this section to “period of office” is a reference to the period during which the person holding such office is required to perform the functions of the office.” Subsection 3 of the section spells out specifically the persons to whom the privilege of immunity from prosecution applies as the president, the vice president, governors and deputy governors.
Ortom Apologises Over Government’s Failure To Implement Pension Scheme For Past Years [THE GUARDIAN]
Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom yesterday apologised to both serving and retired workers on behalf of his government as well as previous administrations in the state for the inability to find a lasting solution to the pension problem over the years.
Ortom, who tendered the apology when he flagged off the contributory pension scheme at the Government House, Makurdi, urged workers of the state to key into the contributory pension scheme to better their lot at retirement.
He said that one of the most unpleasant realities his administration met at inception of his duty as governor of the state was the huge pension liabilities inherited from previous administrations in the state.
The governor also noted with dismay that the pension problem was competing for attention with the humanitarian crisis arising from the perennial herder’s attacks as well as other challenges of development and governance.
He said that as the state was grappling with the difficult choice of which challenges to prioritise, the occasional demonstration on the streets by the elderly retired workers in pursuit of their retirement benefits served as a constant reminder that although there were serious other challenges of governance and development to face, the pension problem of the state was one issue that his administration must find solutions to.
He said: “Indeed, our initial efforts to address the pension problem through structured payments proved hopelessly inadequate.
“The more we released funds for the settlement of the pension liabilities, the more the liabilities grew.
“We have finally come to the conclusion that the contributory pension scheme is the best solution to the state’s pension problem.
He further asserted that one of the measures his administration is taking to raise funds to pay for some of the contributory pension scheme costs and to also pay the entitlements of workers exempted from the scheme when they retire or to repay debts taken to defray pension liabilities is to create a special fund to be invested in interest-yielding instruments.
“For efficiency and efficacy, the Benue State Internal Revenue Service, working in consort with the state pension commission, have been mandated to identify some revenue items from which funds are to be raised and dedicated to the Special Pension Fund,” he added.
Lagos Assembly Removes Two Principal Officers, Suspends Two Others [THE GUARDIAN]
The Lagos State House of Assembly has removed two of its principal officers, the Chief Whip, Rotimi Abiru and the Deputy Majority Leader, Olumuyiwa Jimoh.
Two other members of the House, Moshood Oshun (Lagos Mainland Constituency II) and Kazeem Raheem Adewale (Ibeji Lekki Constituency II), were also suspended indefinitely during plenary yesterday.
Announcing the suspension of the members, the Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Obasa, stated that the House as the hope of the people and the heartbeat of democracy should be well guided.
“I hereby invoke Section 68 and Section 70 4 (a, b) 2 and 3 of the House Rules in respect of gross misconduct, insubordination and action that can destablise this House. I hereby move that Moshood Oshun and Raheem Adewale be placed on suspension indefinitely,” the Speaker said.
The two decisions were supported through voice-votes by members present during plenary.Notice and change in the leadership was contained in a letter read on the floor of the House by the Clerk, Azeez Sanni.
Sanni stated that the 26 members that signed the letter urged the House “to change the leadership of the House, including Rotimi Abiru as the Chief Whip and Olumuyiwa Jimoh as Deputy Chief Whip.”
According to him, the removal of the principal officers and suspension of two other members came amid speculation that there were critical issues that could divide the House and “that more revelations might come in the coming days.”
Meanwhile, Oshun was blocked from gaining entrance into the Assembly Complex at 8:20 p.m. yesterday.The lawmaker, who was sighted making frantic efforts to gain entrance, was blocked by the security agents believed to be working on instruction.
After several moves by the lawmaker, he was finally turned back after which he drove off.Also, Jimoh was blocked from gaining entrance when he arrived around 8:40 p.m.
Sources disclosed that some members loyal to the Speaker are currently holding a meeting to get replacement for the Chief Whip and Deputy Majority Leader positions and also get a replacement for the committee positions held by the suspended lawmakers.