Author: Adejuyigbe Francis

The Court of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS,  has declared that the Nigerian Broadcasting Code used by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to impose sanctions and fines on broadcast stations violates freedom of expression. The ECOWAS court ruled on October 23, in a judgment delivered in a suit filed by a non-governmental organisation, Expression Now Human Rights Initiative, against the Federal Republic of Nigeria. According to the ECOWAS Court, the Nigerian government had failed in its responsibility to align its domestic legislation with its international obligations. The applicant had challenged the use of the NBC Code by…

Edo State Deputy Governor, Comrade Philip Shaibu will next week formally declare his intention to contest the 2024 Edo State governorship election. Recall that Shaibu and his principal, Governor Godwin Obaseki, had earlier clashed over the former’s gubernatorial ambition. Reports had emerged claiming that Obaseki, who is believed not to be disposed to his deputy taking over from him, is backing the chairman of the Board of Trustees, Alaghodaro Economic Summit Ltd/Gte, Dr. Asue Ighodalo, to succeed him. However, Shaibu has been consulting and meeting with politicians and the media on his intention to contest, with the latest being his…

Barcelona midfielder Gavi tore his anterior cruciate ligament on international duty with Spain and needs surgery, his club has confirmed. Gavi, 19, left the pitch in tears on Sunday after landing awkwardly when jumping to control the ball. Barca said he would have surgery on his right ACL, with a further update on the injury due in “the coming days”. Gavi could miss the rest of the season and his chances of playing at Euro 2024 and the Paris Olympics are in doubt. Barcelona confirmed the “complete tear of the ACL” on Monday and the recovery time for that injury can be eight…

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has affirmed the election of Hyacinth Alia as governor of Benue state. Alia was declared the winner of the governorship election that was held in March. The Catholic priest polled 473,933 votes to be declared winner by the electoral commission. However, Titus Uba, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue, filed a petition challenging Alia’s victory. Justice Onyekachi Aja Otisi, who delivered the lead judgment, dismissed the allegation of non-qualification levelled by Uba against the Deputy Governor, Samuel Ode. Justice Otisi held that the PDP gubernatorial candidate failed to establish forgery of INEC…

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has said judges’ involvement in Nigeria’s elections should be completely eliminated. Falana, who spoke on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme, said the Nigerian electorate should determine who governs them and not a few judges. He was referring to recent court judgements that have sacked some governors. He said it was only in Nigeria that judges determine the results of elections, calling on the country to learn from what transpired recently during Liberia and Sierra Leone general elections. Falana said: “The stakeholders should go back to the drawing table so that the involvement…

Former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo has insisted that Western liberal democracy has not worked for Africa. Obasanjo said liberal democracy does not take into account the continent’s history, culture and tradition. The former President explained that the Western style of democracy failed in Africa because it does not consider the views of the majority of the people. He stated this while delivering his keynote address at a high-level consultation on ‘Rethinking Western Liberal Democracy for Africa’ in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital. Obasanjo, the convener of the gathering, described Western liberal democracy as “a government of a few people over…

The Ebonyi State Government will return all mission schools to their original owners by December, Governor Francis Nwifuru promised in Abakaliki on Sunday. Mr Nwifuru made the promise during a pastoral visit to him by the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Abakaliki, Peter Nworie, a most reverend. The governor acknowledged that the Catholic Church and others were tactical in improving the quality of education in the state. He directed the Commissioner for Primary and Secondary Education, and the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice to begin the process of returning the schools to the missions. “We are badly challenged in the area…

An Israeli-owned cargo ship has reportedly been hijacked by an Iran-backed militia group. Up to 52 people are reported to have on board the Galaxy Leader vehicle carrier when she was seized. It comes after the Houthis – based in Yemen – vowed they would target all ships owned by Israel or flying their flag in the Red Sea. Israeli officials confirmed the rebels had taken over the ship that is partially owned by one of their companies, according to Axios. However, the IDF went on to deny the ship was Israeli. The exact ownership of ships is often difficult…

Emirates Airline has announced its readiness to commence direct flight to Nigeria in the near future. The ministry of Aviation and Aerospace, in a statement signed by the Head Press, Odutayo Oluseyi, at the weekend, in Abuja, stated that the Emirates Airline made the disclosure when the Minister, Mr. Festus Keyamo, attended the 2023 Dubai Airshow at the United Arab Emirates, UAE. The statement also revealed that the Emirate’s Government has granted approval to the Nigeria’s carrier, Air Peace Airline, to fly direct into and out of the prime airport in Dubai. Similarly, the Minister met with the management of…

The Police Service Commission (PSC), said 547,774 applications for recruitment into the constable cadre of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) have so far been received in the Police Recruitment portal which closes next Sunday, November 26, 2023. The portal was opened on the 15th of October 2023, five weeks ago and will close after six weeks. Out of the 547,774 applicants, 358,900 were successful and have qualified for the next round of the recruitment process which includes the physical, credentials, medicals and strict background checks of the applicants. PSC spokesperson, Ikechukwu Ani, also said a total of 84,606 applicants were…

National Judicial Council (NJC) has debunked reports on social media that it received a nomination list for Supreme Court vacancies from the Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC). A report emerged claiming that the FJSC released 22 names for NJC’s consideration to fill vacancies at the apex court bench. The nomination reportedly followed complaints in September that the Supreme Court was operating with only 10 out of its constitutional strength of 21 justices. Based on the depletion in the number of justices due to retirement and deaths, it was reported that the FJSC subsequently submitted a shortlist to address the vacant positions. But reacting on…

The Federal Government of Nigeria has engaged Elon Musk’s internet company, Starlink, to explore the possibility of establishing programs to create jobs in Nigeria through local maintenance and production of its hardware. The Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, who disclosed this on a Sunday, mentioned that the discussions had taken place on the sidelines of the International Telecommunication Union-World Radio Communication (ITU-WRC) Conference in Dubai. Tijani explained that he met with Ryan Goodnight, the Senior Director of Global Licensing and Activation at SpaceX. He mentioned that the discussion focused on how Starlink could establish a program…