States
US election crimes director resigns after Donald Trump’s attorney general authorises probes
The top federal investigator of election crimes in the US has resigned just hours after Donald Trump’s attorney general William Barr authorised probes into claims of voter fraud. Richard Pilger, director of the election crimes branch of the Department of Justice, stepped down from the post he has held since 2010 on Monday. The branch director, Richard Pilger, handed in his resignation within hours of Barr’s authorization. In an email to colleagues about Barr’s order, Pilger said, “Having familiarized myself with the new policy and its ramifications… I must regretfully resign from my role,” The New York Times reported. US Attorney General William Barr gave federal prosecutors blanket authorization Monday to open investigations into voting irregularities, as President Donald Trump repeated u...
Why Donald Trump lost U.S. election
Donald Trump won more than 70 million votes, the second highest total in American history. Nationally, he has more than a 47% share of his vote, and looks to have won 24 states, including his beloved Florida and Texas. He has an extraordinary hold over large swathes of this country, a visceral connection that among thousands of supporters has brought a near cult-like devotion. After four years in the White House, his supporters studied the fine print of his presidency and clicked enthusiastically on the terms and conditions. Any analysis of his political weakness in 2020 also has to acknowledge his political strength. However, he was defeated, becoming one of only four incumbents in the modern era not to get another four years. Also he has become the first president to lose the popular vot...
NSCDC partners youths to protect critical infrastructure in Akwa Ibom
The Akwa Ibom Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), says it will collaborate with youth leaders across the state to ensure adequate protection of critical government infrastructure. The State Commandant of NSCDC, Mr Samuel Fadeyi, said this while answering questions from newsmen on Tuesday in Uyo. Fadeyi said that, in view of the current #EndSARS protests in some parts of the country, the command has deployed all its personnel to critical government infrastructure in the state. He said the development is to ensure that hoodlums that have hijacked the protests do not loot, vandalise or destroy the infrastructure. Fadeyi said the command has urged the youth to see government infrastructure as belonging to them and should promptly provide information on any planned ...
CACOVID: Looted palliatives awaiting distribution
Most of the looted palliatives in warehouses across the nation were awaiting distribution to over 2 million vulnerable households, the private sector-led Coalition Against COVID (CACOVID) has explained. In a statement on Monday night, CACOVID said: “The sheer scale of this nationwide food programme and the timing of the orders and deliveries, which coincided with the lockdowns and reduced movement across the country, compelled CACOVID to roll out distribution in a staggered manner”. CACOVID maintained: “The very large size of the order, and the production cycle required to meet the demand, caused delays in delivering the food items to the States in an expeditious manner; hence the resultant delay in delivery of the food palliatives by the State Governors”. For instance, “rice had to be mil...
Anambra governor raises the alarm over plans to unleash mayhem Monday
Hoodlums have concluded arrangements to invade Anambra on Monday to cause mayhem, Governor Willie Obiano has raised the alarm. He spoke at the weekend in Aguleri, Anambra East local government area, when the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Celestine Okoye paid him a visit The DIG visited Obiano in company of the Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG, incharge of Zone-13 Ukpo, Anambra State, Danmallam Mohammed, and the Anambra State Police Commissioner, John Abang. Before he raised the alarm, the protesters had sent a signal they would storm Awka the capital city from Onitsha and Nnewi, accusing the Awka protesters as too weak. Obiano said he would never allow such to happen as he had directed the Joint security team JTF to take control of the situation. He also called on tradition...
Foundation trains NIS, NAPTIP, Police on strategies to fight traffickers
The International Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies (FIIAPP) on Tuesday began a three-day training for officers of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) on strategies to fight human trafficking. The Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) are participating in the training. The training was tagged: “Identification of perpetrators of human trafficking and smuggling of migrants in Nigeria’’. Rafael-Rios Molina, the team leader for Action Against Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrant (A-TIPSOM) in Nigeria said that the training was to enhance of knowledge frontline officers on trafficking issues. Malina said that it was also organised to improve the knowledge of ...
36 states sue federal government, demand funding of state courts
The 36 states governors, through their respective Attorneys General and Commissioners for Justice, have dragged the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN, before the Supreme Court over the failure of the Federal Government to fund the courts in the country with recurrent expenditure since May 5, 2009. It will be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari, had in May 2020, signed Executive Order 10, which gave financial autonomy to the legislature and judiciary at the state level. The state governors argued that the Federal Government should also fund state courts if the president must make such order. The plaintiffs in the suit against the AGF, through their counsel, Mr Augustine Alegeh, SAN, are contending that the respondent refused to fun...
Akwa Ibom enacts law to establish own official symbols
Akwa Ibom governent has enacted a law to establish the state’s official symbols and other other related matters just it’s celebrates the 33rd anniversary of its creation. The “Bill for a Law to Establish the State Official Symbols and other matters connected therewith” was passed into law on Tuesday by the state house of assembly. It had at Plenary on Thursday, September 17, 2020, scaled its first and second readings and was committed to the Committee on Information for scrutiny. Presenting the report at Plenary on Tuesday, Chairman of the Committee, Mr. Aniefiok Dennis, noted that the general principle of the Bill was sufficiently indicative that the Bill when passed into law, will entrench pride, hope and dignity in the state and also foster unity among the people. Subsequently, the Hous...
DISCO: New tariff only affects major electricity consumers
The Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO), says the new tariff regime approved by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) will not affect lower electricity consumers in its franchise. KEDCO’s franchise include Kano, Katsina and Jigawa States. Mr Ibrahim Shawai, Head of Corporate Communications of the company, gave the clarification in a statement issued on Wednesday in Kano. Shawai said that the increase in tariff would be applied only on major electricity consumers who had been categorised into Band A, B and C. He explained that the Band A, B and C consumers enjoyed minimum of power supply between 20, 16 and 12 hours respectively. The spokesman added that lower consumers were also categorised into Band D and E with less than 12 hours of supply per day, adding that th...
PDP backs ex-President Obasanjo, slams Presidency
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has commednded former President Olusegun Obasanjo and some Nigerian elders for standing up to save the country at its alleged worst times in history. PDP National Chairman Uche Secondus, in a statement by his spokesman, Ike Abonyi, said the Presidency should accept the reality and be patriotic.” He commended Obasanjo for “always exhibiting exceptional patriotism whenever the challenges in the country were overwhelmed.” Secondus asked President Buhari and the APC to dispose themselves to absorbing the words of wisdom and “stop grandstanding even as the nation under their watch is going down.” He cautioned the Presidency against abusing and disrespecting nationalists who fought for the unity of the country. He also asked Buhari to guarantee free, fair and ...
Benue governor canvasses return to parliamentary system
Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has called for a parliamentary system of government as a more cost-effective democratic alternative for Nigeria. While inaugurating the State Constitution Review Committee in Markudi, Ortom said, the parliamentary system provides opportunities for power-sharing such that smaller parties also participate in governance, stressing that it is more accountable and considerably less complex. According to the Governor, the current system of federalism where the Federal Government has constitutional powers in nearly 100 per cent performance while states and local governments only function 30 per cent or less is a distortion of the spirit and practice of federalism. He said that Nigeria needed a constitution that sets out a system in which the various tiers could s...
Kaduna Muslim lawyers to boycott NBA conference
Pool Photo The leadership of the Muslim Lawyers Association of Nigeria (MULAN) in Kaduna has directed its members to Annual General Conference (AGC) of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) following the withdrawal of Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s invitation by the NBA. Governor El-Rufai was one of the speakers billed to speak at the 60th Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association. But the National Executive Council of the NBA withdrew the governor’s invitation after a group of lawyers protested against the governor’s presence at the conference. The lawyers had argued that inviting El-Rufai to speak at the event is a ‘reward for misrule,’ adding that the governor does not represent what the NBA stands for. However, the decision to remove the governor from the list of speakers that ...
