The Kogi State Judicial Service Commission has ordered the compulsory retirement of a judge, Alemeru Adekunle Bamidele, of the Area Court over misconduct.
The commission also suspended Magistrate Tanimu U. Muhammed from adjudicatory duties for two years and issued him a warning letter.
These decisions were taken at the JSC’s 136th meeting held in Lokoja, according to a statement on Thursday by the Secretary to the Commission, Dr. Tanko Muhammed.
The commission, however, acquitted four others accused of various alleged offences. They are Magistrate Abdul Musa Mopah, Mr Yunusa Medugu, Deborah O. Ebiloma Esq. and Anuhi Safiya Oiza.
The Secretary to the Commission, Dr. Tanko Muhammed, who spoke on the decisions of the commission in Lokoja on Thursday, also said that a six-man committee was constituted by the Commission to look into the possibility of improving the welfare of magistrates and area court judges.
“The allegations against the officers were first investigated by the Commission’s Disciplinary Committee, which made appropriate recommendations to the JSC.
“The sacked judge was found to have bought a building which was the subject matter of litigation before him, after ordering the sale of the same and refused to make full payment for the property. He was found to have issued a court order without hearing both parties,” Muhammed said.
The committee, he said, was headed by the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice of the state, Muizudeen Abdullah.
A lawmaker representing Eket/Onna /Esit Eket/Ibeno Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Okpolupm Etteh, has commended President Bola Tinubu for appointing Usoro Akpabio as the Managing Director of the newly established South-South Development Commission.
Akpabio’s appointment as the Managing Director, SSDC is still subject to the approval of the Senate.
In a statement obtained in Uyo from the media unit of the Lawmaker on Friday, Etteh expressed his confidence in Miss Akpabio’s ability and capacity to lead the new commission, citing her wealth of experience in public service and commitment to national development.
“I sincerely commend President Tinubu for this visionary appointment. Miss Usoro Akpabio is a seasoned public servant whose dedication and competence will certainly drive the success of the SSDC,” Etteh said.
He urged the people of Akwa Ibom State to rally around the new Managing Director, stating that her leadership at the SSDC could unlock unprecedented development opportunities for the South-South region.
“As the SSDC begins operations, I call on all Akwa Ibom people to support Miss Akpabio in this important assignment.
“With unity and collective effort, we can usher in a new era of prosperity for our state and the entire South-South region,” he added.
Etteh further explained that “Miss Akpabio’s appointment is a strategic move to strengthen regional development efforts and promote inclusive governance in the Niger Delta.”
SSDC was recently established to coordinate and implement development initiatives across the six states in the geopolitical zone, with a focus on infrastructure, human capital, and environmental sustainability.
The Oyo State Government, on Thursday, commenced the demolition of illegal structures and shanties at different locations in Ibadan, the state capital.
The exercise began at St. Gabriel’s Secondary Commercial School, Sabo-Jembewon Area, Ibadan.
Security personnel of Operation Burst, the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and Western Security Network codenamed Amotekun Operation were on the ground to maintain law and order against the protesting dwellers of the shanties.
The state Chairman of the Rule of Law Enforcement Authority, Hon Justice Aderonke Aderemi (retd) led the team to enforce the Executive Order.
Speaking during the exercise, Aderemi said, “No going back on shanties and illegal structures demolitions across the state. The Executive Order, as issued in 2023 by the State Governor, Seyi Makinde, could not be thwarted but must be obeyed with strict adherence, hence the need for this action.”
She explained that adequate notifications were given to the occupants before resulting in the demolition exercise.
The chairman stressed that safety and sanity concerns for students of the affected school could no longer be overlooked as the shanties latch on the fence of the school.
This, according to her, served as a place of abode, hideouts for criminals, shops for the occupants that harbour dangerous substances, and an environment that fostered the perpetration of vices.
A representative of the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology, Omololu Babatola of the Land Matters Unit, Department of Planning, Research and Statistics, said the situation at Sabo-Jembewon had been a challenge to education in the area.
The Abia State Government says it will convert the proposed new Government House at Ogurube Layout, Umuahia, into a five-star hotel.
The Commissioner for Information, Okey Kanu, said this during a media tour of the site on Thursday.
Kanu also revealed that a new governor’s office and lodge will be built at the current Government House Complex.
He addressed claims that the current Government House is rented, saying, “And let me debunk another lie. Before now, they said that the current Government House was a rented apartment. But it is not a rented apartment.
“That property was acquired, duly acquired by the state government, but those people who were in office before now were busy paying themselves rent from government coffers, deceiving the public that they were paying rent for a Government House.”
The commissioner said the building project, which was claimed to be completed and commissioned by the last administration, is not livable and was never meant to be a residential building.
He stated, “This place appears inhabitable. There are no wardrobes anywhere. Most of what we saw were just halls, empty halls.
“Did anybody see any wardrobe on any of the floors? There were no wardrobes. So this place was never meant to be a residential house.
“And one begins to wonder, the person or persons who designed this so-called Government House. One wonders what they had in mind when they designed this kind of Government House and expected a governor to come and live in this kind of place.”
Kanu stressed that only one floor appears finished, while the rest are still incomplete.
He added, “And there is only the first floor that appears to have been finished. The rest of the floors were not finished.”
He also accused a former commissioner, John Okiyi Kalu, of spreading false information.
“Of course, when Dr. Alex Otti spoke about this Government House a few days ago, John Okiyi went to Arise, to, as usual, spew falsehood. Almost everything he said was a lie. Now I brought you people (pressmen) here to see for yourselves and to confirm what Dr. Alex Otti said.”
He described the building as unsafe.
He said, “You can see a lot of the places were not plastered, and the elevator was not installed. The whole place looks dangerous. If anybody missteps there, you can fall through the place to your death.”
Kanu said the previous government rushed the construction just to impress the public.
“Granted, you will see a few furniture here. But that is as much as you can see. Nothing on the next floor. They misused the resources of the state to put up this gigantic edifice that is meant to achieve nothing, so to speak. This place is not habitable.”
He also noted that the location of the building poses security risks because it is surrounded by other buildings.
He called on Abians to ignore the opposition and keep supporting Otti.
“Otti, being a responsible governor, would not allow waste and would never misuse the resources of Abians,” he said.
The Philippines votes Monday in a ballot that will decide half the Senate’s seats, thousands of local posts, and quite possibly the political future of impeached Vice President Sara Duterte.
More than 160,000 national police have been deployed to secure polling stations, escort election officials and guard checkpoints in a country where hotly contested provincial postings are known to erupt in violence.
But it is the vice president’s feud with President Ferdinand Marcos that has dominated national politics heading into the mid-term election.
The rift between the two former allies came to a head in the wake of the vice president’s February impeachment and her father Rodrigo Duterte’s subsequent arrest and transfer to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to face charges over his deadly drug war while he was president.
The 12 senators elected Monday, and 12 others already in office, will serve as jurors in an impeachment trial — tentatively set for July — that could see her permanently barred from public office.
Seven currently polling in the top 12 have been endorsed by Marcos while four — including the president’s independent-minded sister Imee Marcos — are publicly aligned with Duterte.
Among the front-runners are a TV host, a comedian and a former Duterte lieutenant who has publicly said he could be next on the ICC’s warrant list.
Former boxing champion Manny Pacquiao sits just outside the so-called Magic 12.
The threat the Dutertes face is an existential one, Cleve Arguelles, president and CEO of WR Numero Research, told AFP.
“If (Rodrigo) is cut off from power, if Sara is cut off from public office, then it’s not far from imagining that it might also threaten their control of Davao,” he said, referencing the capital of the family’s southern stronghold Mindanao.
Seeing the vice president removed from the 2028 presidential equation is in the interest of more than just Marcos, who is constitutionally limited to one term, Arguelles added.
“If she is out of the game, then it’s anybody’s ballgame,” he said.
– Sliding popularity –
The Dutertes’ woes, however, have done little to boost Marcos’s popularity.
A survey released last month showed a dramatic dip in his approval rating from nearly 50 percent to 25 percent in barely three months.
“There’s a view that the mid-term elections serve as a referendum for the incumbent president,” said Dennis Coronacion of the University of Santo Tomas’ political science department.
Marcos, however, has no signature achievement he can point to, said Jean Franco, assistant chair of the University of the Philippines’ political science department.
“Since late 2023, his entire administration’s narrative seems to be about Sara Duterte,” she said. “I think Filipinos are souring on him.”
A bid to make the country’s clashes with Beijing in the disputed South China Sea central to the campaign has also largely fizzled with voters.
While surveys show Filipinos are broadly anti-China on the issue, it rates far behind bread-and-butter topics like inflation and jobs, said pollster Arguelles.
– History of violence –
In Manila on Monday, many will queue to cast their ballots inside air-conditioned malls.
The spectre of violence, however, looms large the further you get from the capital.
In 2022, shortly after polls opened in the presidential election, a trio of security guards were shot dead at a polling station in the far south’s autonomous Muslim region in Mindanao.
Hours before that, nine were wounded in a grenade attack.
This year, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has taken the rare step of temporarily removing top police officials in two southern municipalities, accusing them of “gross negligence” after they failed to provide security for an election official who was later murdered.
The body has officially recorded 81 acts of “politically related” violence between January 12 and May 7. Police told AFP that 16 of those have resulted in death.
A top Comelec official said last month that the numbers were “very low compared to the past”.
No matter the election’s outcome, Marcos’s influence is certain to wane over the next three years, said Alicor Panao, an associate political science professor at the University of the Philippines.
“The truth is, the… political capital of the president decreases in the second half of his term whatever happens… because he cannot promise anything anymore,” he said.
“The legislators and local officials will (start preparing) for the next presidential election. That’s the reality of our politics.”
Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, has commended the efforts of the Directorate of State Services for its swift and decisive action in apprehending five suspects linked to the kidnapping and brutal murder of a one-year-old girl, Sakina Mamuda, in Duhun Bake village, Gwarzo Local Government Area.
This is contained in a statement by the Governor’s Spokesperson, Sanusi Dawakin-Tofa on Thursday evening.
According to the statement, the suspects were said to have abducted the baby girl and demanded a ransom from her family, after which they brutally killed her.
“However, the perpetrators heartlessly dumped her dead body in an abandoned open well,” the statement said.
The arrested suspects are Zailani Rabiu, Hafizu Yusuf, Abubakar Abdulkareem,
Umar Lawan and Amadu Salisu, are all from the same community as their victim in Gwarzo Local Government Area.
“They are currently being investigated for criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, and homicide,” the statement added.
Speaking at a joint press briefing held at the Government House in Kano, the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Haruna Dederi, along with the Commissioner for Information and other senior officials, reaffirmed the administration’s determination to ensure justice is swiftly and decisively served in this tragic case.
“Governor Yusuf expressed deep sorrow over the incident and praised the DSS operatives and other security agencies for their proactive response,” the statement said.
He further reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to strengthening the state’s security apparatus through increased investment in intelligence gathering, logistics, and inter-agency collaboration.
“This senseless tragedy has shaken us to the core,
“I commend the DSS for acting swiftly and decisively. We will continue to prioritise the safety of our people and ensure that those who threaten our peace are brought to justice.” the Governor stated.
The incident has drawn widespread public condemnation, with calls for the suspects to be prosecuted without delay and for the full weight of the law to be brought against anyone who harms children.
The United Arab Emirates has agreed to contribute to a huge gas pipeline project that will connect Nigeria to Morocco and eventually reach Europe.
Morocco’s Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Leila Benali, told lawmakers on Tuesday that the UAE is now one of the supporters of the project, which is estimated to cost $25 billion.
“As for finance. The project has won the support of IDB, OPEC Fund, EIB and the UAE,” she said.
Benali also said that Morocco has finished all feasibility and engineering studies needed for the pipeline.
According to Moroccan industry experts, the project has already passed the feasibility study and Front End Engineering Design stages.
The gas pipeline, now called the “African-Atlantic Gas Pipeline”, will connect Nigeria’s gas network with Morocco’s southern city of Dakhla and then go northward toward Europe.
The line will pass through 15 African countries, boosting trade, development, and access to electricity in the region.
In Phase One, it will link Morocco to gas fields near Senegal and Mauritania, and connect Ghana to the Ivory Coast.
Phase Two will link Nigeria to Ghana, while Phase Three will connect the Ivory Coast to Senegal.
Experts said this pipeline will help bring more power to African homes and businesses while encouraging economic partnerships across the region.
With more than 400 million people living along its route, the pipeline is seen as a key driver of regional integration, industrial growth, and improved infrastructure.
Morocco and Nigeria have set up a joint venture to manage the project.
They signed a financing agreement earlier to help move it forward.
China’s Jingye Steel Group has been awarded the contract to supply pipes for the construction.
At 6,800 km long, including 5,100 km offshore, the pipeline will become the longest offshore gas pipeline in the world once completed.
Benali added that Morocco also aims to become a regional leader in clean energy, with high potential to produce green hydrogen and other renewable resources.
The Senate leadership on Thursday cautioned the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru, against making public statements that could create friction between the National Assembly and the executive led by President Bola Tinubu.
The warning came after Badaru publicly dismissed a planned two-day national security summit by the Senate, stating that such gatherings were unnecessary in addressing Nigeria’s security challenges.
Speaking at plenary, Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele criticised the minister’s comments, warning that such remarks could undermine legislative initiatives and strain relations with the Presidency.
At a ministerial briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, Badaru had said the armed forces were already better equipped and more sophisticated than insurgents, and emphasised that effective strategy, not summits, was the key to national security.
“Strategy is far more important than a summit,” the minister said. “The summit will give input for the strategy, but operational orders come from the Defence Chiefs, not from public discourse.”
Reacting, Akpabio expressed disappointment, stating that open criticism of the Senate’s resolutions could worsen the already dire security situation.
“If the Ministry of Defence has any issue with any Senate resolution, it should not address it in the marketplace,” Akpabio said. “It should reach out to the Senate President or Senate elders. Such public remarks could lead to unnecessary executive-legislative conflict.”
Akpabio commended the 10th Senate for staying focused on national priorities despite distractions.
Earlier, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele described the minister’s remarks as demoralising and unhelpful.
“We are elected to work for the people and support the President’s agenda. But when we are falsely portrayed or publicly undermined, it becomes difficult to build synergy,” Bamidele said.
He added, “That the Minister of Defence could describe a Senate-backed national security summit as unnecessary is troubling. Summits may not be perfect, but they remain critical avenues for gathering diverse perspectives to inform strategic decisions.”
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives on Thursday called on President Tinubu to order the deployment of additional security personnel to Plateau State, following recent attacks on Bokkos and Bassa local government areas.
The call followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance jointly sponsored by lawmakers Ishaya Lalu and Daniel Ago.
Lalu decried the repeated violence and mass killings in Jos and surrounding communities, stating that the recent attacks have left many dead, thousands displaced, and livelihoods destroyed.
“These incidents represent a troubling pattern of violence in Plateau State that has persisted for years, despite previous interventions,” Lalu said. “The situation has resulted in a worsening humanitarian crisis, with inadequate relief and support for displaced persons.”
The motion, when put to a voice vote by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, received overwhelming support.
The House urged the President to immediately deploy additional security forces to the affected areas to prevent further bloodshed. It also called on the National Emergency Management Agency and the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons to supply relief materials, medical aid, and establish proper IDP camps.
Furthermore, the House mandated its Committees on National Security, Defence, and Police Affairs to investigate the root causes of the persistent attacks and submit a report with recommendations within four weeks.
The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs was also tasked with developing a comprehensive rehabilitation plan to rebuild destroyed homes, schools, and healthcare facilities in the affected communities.
The House of Representatives has called on the Federal Government to establish more permanent orientation camps and rehabilitate new ones to enhance the seamless participation of prospective corps members in the National Youth Service Corps scheme.
The resolution of the House followed the consideration of a motion on notice during Thursday’s plenary, moved by Mr Garba Muhmmad.
The lawmaker, while moving the motion, noted that the NYSC scheme annually trains thousands of youths across various learning institutions for three weeks, equipping them with necessary skills and knowledge for the service year.
According to him, the management of NYSC had once decried the state of the orientation camps across Nigeria, noting that the FG needs to do more in this regard.
He said, “The House is alarmed that some states lack orientation camps to accommodate and meet the increasing number of corps members deployed, while other states temporarily utilize secondary school buildings to accommodate prospective corps members.
“We are disturbed by the current dilapidated state of permanent orientation camps in the country, which is causing dissatisfaction due to inadequate facilities overstretching the existing facilities, leaving corps members with no options other than to be redeployed to neighbouring states for camping activities.
“The House is concerned that due to space limitations, Corps members frequently have to travel for longer periods after being deployed.”
Cognizant of the need for spacious, habitable orientation camps, with each camp accommodating at least 5,000 participants at a time across the states of the Federation;
Also cognizant of the need to ensure the provisions of the state-of-the-art facilities, build additional camps, to empower Nigerian Corp Members with life survival skills and strategies, ensuring sustainable development and evolutionary trends;
Members present at the plenary voted overwhelmingly in support of the motion when put to a voice vote by the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, who presided over the plenary.
Following the adoption of the motion, the House urged the FG to collaborate with state governments to construct additional camps and expand existing ones to accommodate at least 5,000 participants in each state of the federation.
It also urged the Federal Ministry of Youth, in collaboration with other stakeholders, to work out modalities to achieve the construction and expansion of NYSC orientation camps.
The House further mandated the Committees on Youth Development and Legislative Compliance to ensure compliance and report within four weeks for further legislative action.
Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates has disclosed intentions to give away nearly all of his $200 billion wealth, leaving only one per cent for himself, as he shuts down the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The Microsoft co-founder stated on Thursday in a post on his personal blog, Gates Notes, that the foundation, which is considered to be among the most significant charitable organisations globally, will close its doors by December 31, 2045.
“People will say a lot of things about me when I die, but I am determined that “he died rich” will not be one of them.
“There are too many urgent problems to solve for me to hold onto resources that could be used to help people,” he said.
He added, “That is why I have decided to give my money back to society much faster than I had originally planned. I will give away virtually all my wealth through the Gates Foundation over the next 20 years to the cause of saving and improving lives around the world. And on December 31, 2045, the foundation will close its doors permanently.”
In a chart shared in the blog post, Gates revealed that he plans to give away 99 per cent of his wealth by 2045, leaving just one per cent, or about $1.6 billion, for himself and his family.
Founded in 2000 with his now ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, the foundation has spent over $100 billion on global health, education, and poverty alleviation, helping to fund vaccine development, medical research, and emergency aid around the world.
He also notes a shift from the original plan.
“This is a change from our original plans. When Melinda and I started the Gates Foundation in 2000, we included a clause in the foundation’s very first charter: The organisation would sunset several decades after our deaths. A few years ago, I began to rethink that approach.
“More recently, with the input from our board, I now believe we can achieve the foundation’s goals on a shorter timeline, especially if we double down on key investments and provide more certainty to our partners,” he stated.
Daily Mail reports that the remaining one per cent of his fortune may ultimately go to his three adult children: Phoebe, Rory and Jennifer.
Outlining the foundation’s achievements, he said, “I am deeply proud of what we have accomplished in our first 25 years.
“We were central to the creation of Gavi and the Global Fund, both of which transformed the way the world procures and delivers lifesaving tools like vaccines and anti-retrovirals. Together, these two groups have saved more than 80 million lives so far. Along with Rotary International, we have been a key partner in reviving the effort to eradicate polio.
“We supported the creation of a new vaccine for rotavirus that has helped reduce the number of children who die from diarrhea each year by 75 percent. Every step of the way, we brought together other foundations, non-profits, governments, multilateral agencies, and the private sector as partners to solve big problems—as we will continue to do for the next twenty years.”
Despite decades of impact, the Gates Foundation has drawn criticism from some who say Gates holds too much sway over global health funding decisions.
But, in an interview with the Associated Press on Thursday, he remains unapologetic, saying, like any private citizen, he can choose how to spend the money he earns
“I think 20 years is the right balance between giving as much as we can to make progress on these things and giving people a lot of notice that now this money will be gone,” he said.
