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8 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2020<br />
By Henry Umoru<br />
ABUJA — THE Senate<br />
said yesterday it<br />
would consider recommendations<br />
of the 2014 National<br />
Conference, as it began<br />
the process of another constitution<br />
review.<br />
The Upper Chamber,<br />
which said report of the<br />
2014 Conference would<br />
form the working document<br />
of the current review, said<br />
the 58-member Constitution<br />
Committee would also consider<br />
the recommendations<br />
of the All Progressives Congress,<br />
APC, committee report<br />
on restructuting.<br />
The committee was led by<br />
Kaduna State governor,<br />
Nasir el-Rufai.<br />
Speaking yesterday,<br />
shortly after the inauguration<br />
of the Constitution Review<br />
Committee, Deputy<br />
President of the Senate and<br />
Chairman of the Committee,<br />
Senator Ovie Omo-<br />
Agege, APC, Delta Central,<br />
said that the committee<br />
would also liaise with members<br />
of the House of Representatives,<br />
State Houses<br />
of Assembly, as well as collaborate<br />
and build consensus<br />
with all stakeholders to<br />
ensure synergy.<br />
It would be recalled that<br />
former President Jonathan<br />
had appointed 492 delegates<br />
to the National Conference<br />
which held for 151<br />
days at the National Judicial<br />
Institute, NJI, on March<br />
17, 2014. The Conference<br />
was chaired by late former<br />
Chief Justice of Nigeria,<br />
Idris Kutigi, with Professor<br />
Bolaji Akinyemi as Vice<br />
Chairman and Valerie Azinge<br />
as Secretary, with 492<br />
delegates drawn from all<br />
sections of the society.<br />
600 resolutions were<br />
passed, while such issues<br />
as true federalism, State<br />
Police, fiscal autonomy,<br />
Mayoral status for Abuja,<br />
among others, were adopted.<br />
Speaking further, Senator<br />
Omo-Agege said that the<br />
committee would also<br />
brainstorm with development<br />
partners through<br />
counsel, workshops, conferences<br />
and interactions.<br />
Omo-Agege said: "This<br />
committee will consider the<br />
recommendations of the<br />
2014 Constitutional Conference<br />
and the Governor<br />
Nasir el-Rufai-led Committee<br />
on restructuring. We<br />
would also liaise with our<br />
counterparts in the House<br />
of Representatives, the<br />
State Houses of Assembly<br />
and collaborate and build<br />
consensus with all stakeholders<br />
to ensure synergy.<br />
''Development partners<br />
will also play pivotal roles<br />
through counsel, workshops,<br />
conferences and interactions.<br />
The partnership<br />
:Vanguard News :@vanguardnews :@vanguardnews NEWS HOTLINES: 08052867023, 08052867058<br />
Constitution review: We'll consider<br />
2014 Confab report, says Senate<br />
....Looks at recommendations of Gov el-Rufai's committee on restructuring<br />
....As devolution of power, full LG fiscal autonomy, full judiciary autonomy,<br />
others, top agenda<br />
•LAUNCHING: From left — Director, Planning, Research & Statistics<br />
Department, PRSD, Musa Sa’eed Talle; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of<br />
Petroleum Resources, Bitrus Bako Nabasu; Deputy Managing Director, Nigeria<br />
Enterprise Marketing and Sales, Eason Dongyisong and Director, Energy<br />
Business Unit, South Africa Region, Leo Zhang at the Huawei's launch of its<br />
fully digital oilfield IOT solution, at the Nigeria International Petroleum<br />
Summit 2020 in Abuja.<br />
roles of the Executive and<br />
Judiciary and their invaluable<br />
contributions cannot be<br />
overlooked as it will enhance<br />
efficient and successful<br />
outcomes."<br />
He said senators will also<br />
consider the alteration of<br />
the Sixth schedule to make<br />
provision for new items, the<br />
establishment of National<br />
and State Houses of Assembly,<br />
Pre-election Matters<br />
Tribunal, Governorship<br />
Pre-election Matters Tribunals<br />
and Presidential Preelection<br />
Matters Tribunal,<br />
including time limits for the<br />
disposal of all pre-election<br />
matters before the conduct<br />
of the general elections.<br />
Omo-Agege said that the<br />
committee will consider the<br />
need for devolution of power,<br />
full local government fiscal<br />
autonomy, full autonomy<br />
of the judiciary in the<br />
area of administration of<br />
justice, youth inclusiveness<br />
in governance, gender parity<br />
or affirmative action.<br />
He said the committee<br />
would also consider inputs<br />
from stakeholders and different<br />
interest groups<br />
across the country.<br />
Omo-Agege said: "Accept<br />
my congratulations,<br />
Distinguished Colleagues<br />
for appointments well deserved<br />
as members of this<br />
very important Committee<br />
saddled with the responsibility<br />
of amending the 1999<br />
Constitution of the Federal<br />
Republic of Nigeria in this<br />
9th Senate. This calls for<br />
dedication, patriotism and<br />
selfless sacrifice to our fatherland.<br />
"The need for Constitutional<br />
amendment lies at<br />
the heart of Constitutional<br />
theory and practice. Constitutionalism<br />
implies that<br />
the fundamental rules for<br />
effective exercise of state<br />
power and protection of individual<br />
rights should be<br />
stable and predictable and<br />
not subject to easy change<br />
or the whims of individuals.<br />
This is most central in<br />
our noble and continual<br />
Debts from 19 States delay NECO<br />
remittances to FG<br />
By Tordue Salem<br />
ABUJA — THE National<br />
Examinations<br />
Council, NECO, said yesterday<br />
that the debt owed<br />
by 19 states has affected its<br />
remittances to the Federation<br />
Account.<br />
NECO Director of Finance<br />
and Administration,<br />
Jacob Ekele, made this<br />
known at an investigative<br />
hearing before the House<br />
of Representatives Committee<br />
on Finance yesterday.<br />
Ekele said the body conducted<br />
examinations for<br />
students in 19 states where<br />
governors declared free<br />
registration but have not<br />
paid as expected, stressing<br />
that Zamfara topped the list<br />
with over N1 billion debt.<br />
"Our major problem as at<br />
today is that, about 19 states<br />
are owing NECO, the examination<br />
was done for<br />
them on credit especially,<br />
Zamfara. Some states, the<br />
government pay for the students<br />
and they are still owing<br />
us," he said.<br />
In his remarks, Chairman<br />
of the Committee on Finance,<br />
James Faleke (APC-<br />
Lagos), recommended that<br />
status enquiry be placed on<br />
NECO for a comprehensive<br />
investigation into the institution’s<br />
finances.<br />
pursuit of the General<br />
Will. It is for this reason<br />
that the drafters of our Constitution<br />
deliberately made<br />
the process of Constitutional<br />
Amendment very painstaking.<br />
Yet, the greater<br />
need to improve democratic<br />
governance or adjust to<br />
the ever changing political,<br />
economic and social realities<br />
has made it necessary<br />
for our Nation to embark on<br />
this journey again.<br />
"These changing times<br />
have brought new challenges<br />
and today in our<br />
country, we are faced with<br />
increased insecurity, slow<br />
economic growth, rising<br />
poverty, and a poor political<br />
culture, amongst others."<br />
These challenges that will<br />
define the way Nigerians<br />
will live in the 21st century<br />
have continued to agitate<br />
the minds of our people. It<br />
is against this background<br />
that the need for constitutional<br />
reforms has once<br />
again become necessary.<br />
Faleke ordered NECO to<br />
provide all relevant documents<br />
to show its income,<br />
expenditure and remittances,<br />
as well as it's financial<br />
statements, number of enrollees<br />
and examination<br />
fees paid since 2011 to<br />
2019.<br />
He said the Auditor-General<br />
of the Federation report<br />
indicated that NECO was<br />
owing the Consolidated<br />
Revenue Fund the sum of<br />
N6 billion and asked the<br />
Council to provide its budget<br />
since 2011 and documents<br />
showing reconciliation<br />
made with the office of<br />
the Accountant General of<br />
the Federation.<br />
Sowore: Court orders FG to<br />
pay N.2m fine over<br />
frivolous adjournment<br />
By Ikechukwu<br />
Nnochiri<br />
ABUJA — THE Abuja<br />
Division of the Federal<br />
High Court, yesterday,<br />
awarded a fine of N200,000<br />
against the Federal Government<br />
for stalling the trial<br />
of pro-democracy activist<br />
and convener of the RevolutionNow<br />
protest,<br />
Omoyele Sowore, and his<br />
co-defendant, Olawole<br />
Bakare, through frivolous<br />
adjournment request.<br />
Trial Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu<br />
further berated the prosecution<br />
over its conduct in<br />
the trial of the defendants.<br />
The Judge expressed her<br />
dissatisfaction with FG for<br />
its late filing of an amended<br />
two-count charge<br />
against Sowore and<br />
Bakare, as well as the service<br />
of same on the defendants<br />
in the open court on<br />
Wednesday. Though the<br />
court described the adjournment<br />
request that was<br />
made by the prosecution<br />
as frivolous and uncalled<br />
for, it subsequently shifted<br />
further proceeding in the<br />
case till Thursday.<br />
Justice Ojukwu warned<br />
that she would not take further<br />
step in the case unless<br />
FG paid the fine or produced<br />
the money in court<br />
on the next adjourned date.<br />
She noted that the prosecution<br />
failed to serve all the<br />
necessary documents in the<br />
case to the defendants,<br />
though the court ordered it<br />
to do so about seven weeks<br />
ago.<br />
Earlier in the proceeding,<br />
FG's lawyer, Mr. Aminu<br />
Alilu, explained to the court<br />
that the amendment of the<br />
charge was necessitated by<br />
the fact that the office of<br />
the Attorney General of the<br />
Nigeria, Ethiopia sign visa<br />
waiver agreement on<br />
defence cooperation<br />
By Johnbosco<br />
Agbakwuru<br />
ABUJA — NIGERIA<br />
and Ethiopia have<br />
signed a visa waiver agreement<br />
for diplomatic and official<br />
passport holders, and<br />
a Memorandum of Understanding,<br />
MoU, on cooperation<br />
in the field of defence.<br />
President Muhammadu<br />
Buhari and Prime Minister<br />
Abiy Ahmed witnessed the<br />
signing of the agreement<br />
Tuesday in Addis Ababa by<br />
their Ministers of Foreign<br />
Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama<br />
and Gedu Andargachew,<br />
respectively, during the<br />
State Visit of the Nigerian<br />
leader.<br />
Earlier, while meeting<br />
with the Ethiopian Prime<br />
Minister, President Buhari<br />
had discussed how to explore<br />
new areas of collaboration<br />
to further enhance<br />
and expand Nigeria-Ethi-<br />
Federation took over and<br />
reviewed the case-file that<br />
was handed to it by the<br />
Department of State Service,<br />
DSS.<br />
He, therefore, applied for<br />
an adjournment to effect<br />
the service of the amended<br />
charge and other accompanying<br />
documents that included<br />
proof of evidence,<br />
on the defendants.<br />
However, the defence<br />
lawyer, Mr. Olayinka Olumide-Fusika,<br />
SAN, urged<br />
the court to strike out the<br />
charge for lack of diligent<br />
prosecution.<br />
Contending that FG was<br />
not prepared for the trial,<br />
Olumide-Fusika, SAN, insisted<br />
that the adjournment<br />
request was frivolous.<br />
Responding, Alilu, opposed<br />
the application for<br />
the charge to be struck out,<br />
even as he relied on Section<br />
396 (5) of Administration<br />
of Criminal Justice Act,<br />
ACJA, 2015, which he said<br />
allowed parties in a criminal<br />
case to seek for an adjournment<br />
for up to five<br />
times. He argued that FG<br />
had yet to exhaust the five<br />
adjournments it was entitled<br />
to under the ACJA.<br />
Not persuaded by his argument,<br />
though trial Justice<br />
Ojukwu declined to<br />
strike out the charge, she<br />
however awarded<br />
N200,000 cost against the<br />
prosecution and in favour<br />
of the defendants.<br />
Meanwhile, in the<br />
amended charge that was<br />
drafted by the office of the<br />
AGF, Sowore and Bakare,<br />
were alleged to have attempted<br />
to illegally remove<br />
President Muhammadu<br />
Buhari from office through<br />
a nationwide protest they<br />
masterminded on August 5<br />
last year.<br />
opia bilateral cooperation<br />
for the mutual benefits of<br />
the two countries.<br />
A statement signed by the<br />
Senior Special Assistant to<br />
the President on Media<br />
and Publicity, Mallam Garba<br />
Shehu explained that<br />
"The visa waiver agreement<br />
is expected to ease travels<br />
by officials and contribute<br />
to further strengthening of<br />
bilateral relations."<br />
He said that the Memorandum<br />
of Understanding<br />
on Defence Cooperation<br />
was important to both countries<br />
in the coordination of<br />
efforts in the fight against<br />
terrorism and securing<br />
peace and stability in their<br />
respective sub-regions, as<br />
well as on the continent of<br />
Africa. "The MoU will also<br />
enhance bilateral military<br />
cooperation in the areas of<br />
training and education,<br />
technical assistance, exchange<br />
of visits and defence<br />
technology transfer.