Joe Kyari Gadzama, a Senior Advocate Of Nigeria (SAN), has said lawyers have huge roles to play in rescuing Nigeria from sinking

He spoke in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, during the first inaugural lecture organised by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Young Lawyers Forum, Ijebu-Ode branch.

The lecture was titled, “The influence of Justice and Order in a developing society.”

Gadzama, who chaired of the lecture, submitted that entrenchment of justice and order would guarantee socio-economic development of the country.

The legal luminary who identified insecurity and poor economy as some of challenges confronting the nation, said lawyers need to come to the aid of Nigeria.

Highlighting lawyers’ role in the society, Gadzama said the lawyer “is the five senses of the visible body of common man – the eye, the mouth, the eardrum, the nose and the receptor of the common man.”

He also expressed worry over feud between the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Muhammad Tanko and the Supreme Court justices, saying it would compound the delayed justice system if the crisis is not urgently resolved.

“The country as a state and as a nation is facing a lot of challenges, from the issue of safety to the issue of whether we should restructure this country or not.”

“The economy is below the ladder and we have been referred to as the poverty capital of the entire world. Some are saying we are gravitating towards becoming a failed state. Some have even opined that we are already a failed state.

“So, it’s the lawyers who can come to aid of this country,” Gadzama said.

Delivering the lecture, Chukwuma Ikwuazom (SAN) also agreed that effective judicial and justice system would help in resolving Nigeria economic challenges.

According to him, one of the questions investors ask is, how effective is the nation’s judiciary in settling commercial dispute.

“And the answer to that question maybe be between, investing in Nigeria, for example, or in Ghana.

“So, if we are serious about driving the development (of Nigeria), we must begin to do the things we need to do to be able to make our judicial sector functional,” Ikwuazom said.

In her welcome address, the branch Chairperson of YLF, Elsie Adepitan-Olaniyi said the lecture was put together in order for young lawyers to gain more knowledge towards attaining success in the legal practice.

Adepitan-Olaniyi maintained that the career growth of young lawyers is determined by the level at which the judicial system functions and the manner with which “our laws are enforced and sanctions strictly observed.”

She expressed concern that lawlessness “is fast becoming the order of the day” due to the privilege of the social media.

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has confirmed the candidacy of Bachir Machina for Yobe North Senatorial district for All Progressive Congress (APC).

The Yobe North senatorial ticket has caused confusion after Machina, who won the primary, made it clear he would not step down for Senate President.

Also, no records of Lawan’s participation in the APC senatorial primaries were presented by the APC, although the APC chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, said that Lawan took part in the elections.

However, Lawan, who currently represents Yobe north district, was eventually listed as the APC senatorial candidate for the 2023 general election, leaving Machina who actually won the elections out of the picture.

The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan had laid claim to the ticket after participating in APC Presidential Primary Election.

However, the Electoral body in a document confirmed Machina as Senatorial Candidates of APC for Yobe North.

Aloy Ejimakor, the Special Counsel to Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has slammed President Muhammadu Buhari over his latest comments against the agitator.

Ejimakor accused Buhari of lying against Kanu and IPOB in his latest comments.

He noted that Buhari lied to the world that Kanu jumped bail and that IPOB members vandalized oil pipelines.

In a tweet, the counsel stressed that Buhari’s call that the international communities should designate IPOB as a terrorist organization would not happen.

ALSO READ: IPOB blowing up oil pipelines, funded by foreign countries – Buhari

He wrote: “RIGHT OF REPLY: In the past few days, the President has made IPOB & Nnamdi Kanu his main business, saying that:

“#IPOB blows up pipelines: Not true!

“#MNK jumped bail: Not true! Umuahia court settled it.

“The world should declare IPOB a terror group: It won’t happen! It’s not!”

A few days ago, the President had linked vandalism of oil pipelines in the country to IPOB members.

Speaking with British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, Buhari said Kanu jumped bail once, and may do the same again.

He said the IPOB leader must defend all his rant against the Nigerian Government.

The National Population Commission (NPC) has said that the N187bn budgeted for the population and housing census is not adequate to conduct the exercise scheduled for April 2023.

The commission’s Acting Director-General, Ugoeze Mbagou, disclosed this yesterday at a roundtable on the 2023 census organised by the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) in Abuja.

The proposed census comes 17 years after the last exercise in 2006, violating the United Nations’ recommended 10-year interval.

Mbagou said conducting a census in a big country like Nigeria requires huge resources beyond the N187bn approved for the exercise, noting that there would be the need for a supplementary budget.

She, however, said the census would be jointly funded by the federal government and donor partners 50:50.

She listed census challenges as including lack of an enabling law to mandate the conduct of the exercise every 10 years; acceptability by some Nigerians, especially rural dwellers; lack of awareness of the importance of the exercise and insecurity in some areas, among others.

The Director General of NILDS, Prof. Abubakar O. Sulaiman, said the use of ICT and the synchronisation of census data with other national identity databases would shape the conduct of the 2023 census.

He said the roundtable was to provide a platform for key stakeholders to discuss those critical issues and suggest ways to address them.

Members of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control branch, on Wednesday, embarked on an indefinite strike.

The union’s Secretary, Mr Ayodeji Adetoboye, said it was a national strike, contrary to some reports that it was only in Lagos and the other South-West states, adding that the Abuja branch and other parts of the country did not get the notice for the strike on time.

“There was a misinformation, which was the reason people in Abuja went to work today, Wednesday. This has been resolved. We do not have a divided union in NAFDAC,” he said.

Adetoboye disclosed that a motion was moved that the union should immediately proceed on an indefinite strike action until all its demands are met after an emergency meeting with the Federal Area Council, Lagos and NAFDAC Branch of MHWUN.

Some of the demands of the union, according to him, are that ‘‘The congress frowned at the prolonged inaction on the payment of promotion arrears for 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021; the congress agreed that action is long overdue as all measures to resolve the matter has not received management cooperation.

“The issue of additional allowances was discussed and the members of congress rejected the continued delay in the approval by National Salaries Income and Wages Commission. It was noted that since the reduction of NAFDAC salary in year 2013 all efforts to resolve the issue to ameliorate the suffering of staff members have ended on the table of NSIWC.

“The congress raised concerns on the issue of GMP inspection and GMP training that has been hijacked by some microscopic few. Members of congress were unanimous in rebuking management on the delay of the severance allowance and call for an immediate action to save these poor retirees.

“The congress frowned at the recent reversal of the skipping by management as evident in the invitation for promotion during the last promotion exercise. The congress demands immediate reversal to status quo.”

Also speaking, NAFDAC Resident Media Consultant, Sayo Akintola said that the strike would be short lived if the government is ready to meet their demands.

“NAFDAC does not owe salary. To the best of my knowledge, as part of what they are demanding as of the last time this issue came up, was allowances, so it’s not salary.

“I can’t really say why it has not been paid but you know in an organisation as big as NAFDAC, there is usually a process so probably there is a process it has to go through but I know the last time the issue came up, they actually paid everything and that was why the whole thing died down then and they continued with negotiation with some other issues,” he said.

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, will require Dr. Bukola Saraki’s political capital to win the 2023 presidential election, says a young politician, Umar Faringado Kazaure.

Saraki, the immediate-past Senate President, lost the PDP presidential primary election to Atiku, finishing third after Rivers State governor Nyesom Wike.

Faringado in a press statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday said Atiku, despite his connections and political structures nationwide, would still need a Saraki, who connects with the grassroots, to conveniently win the 2023 poll.

“A tree cannot make a forest, hence His Excellency Alhaji Atiku Abubakar needs Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki’s supporters to help market him to the grassroots ahead of the 2023 general elections.

“There is no gains the fact that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate and former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, will need to capitalise on Dr. Saraki’s charisma and connection with the grassroots in the coming campaigns to sail through.

“We, as Saraki’s foot soldiers are ever-ready to do the bidding of our principal the moment Alhaji Atiku Abubakar seek such partnership and assistance for the 2023 presidential election,” Faringado, who was the coordinator of Saraki Is Coming Door To Door organisation, stated.

A resident of Maiduguri Borno state up has open up on how Kidnappings in Maiduguri are not making Headlines in the media and the government don’t care about it, he said his neighbour who is a farmer, was Kidnapped alongside three others by gunmen on their way from farm located behind University of Maiduguri.

According to the children of the kidnapped victim, the kidnappers called them and made a demand of three million naira ransom for his release, the kidnappers ordered immediate payment of the money or the victim get killed, he was released after the payment, but one of the victim was slaughtered the other held as captive.

The victim, name withheld for security reasons, while narrating his own side of the story said the kidnappers are six in numbers, well dressed in military uniform and are civilized in their choice of words.

The resident said its sad that many similar painful and unimaginable tales of kidnapping of farmers in their farms in Maiduguri have been sidlined and not making headlines in the media outlet and not even government is talking about it.

Who are those heartless young boys in full military uniform making money on their criminal and evil trade? He asked.