News
Oyo govt. to contest order on LG allocations, elections.
THE Government of Oyo state has stated that it would rigorously contest the legality of the interim injunction emanating from the creation of the 35 Local Government Development Areas (LCDAs) restricting the state from conducting local governments’ election, adding that it borders on the welfare of the entire citizens, payment of salaries and grassroots development.
The state Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Mr. Oluseun Abimbola, stated this on Tuesday at a press briefing held at the governor’s office, while noting that the state government would abide by all the orders in the suit FHC/ABJ/CS/16/2017 pending determination by the court.
The Commissioner pointed out that one the orders directing the 2nd (Accountant General of the Federation), 3rd (Central Bank of Nigeria) 4th (Revenue Mobilization and Fiscal Commission) and 5th (Federal Ministry of Finance) defendants to warehouse in an interest yielding account, all monies and or allocations belonging to the distorted 33 constitutionally recognised local governments in Oyo State, pending the determination of the Motion on Notice was an ambush on the allocation meant for the local governments in the state which would affect the welfare of the people, payment of salaries and the development of the grass roots.
Also, the press briefing had in attendance his counterparts from the Ministries of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters and Information, Culture and Tourism, Messrs. Bimbo Kolade and Toye Arulogun as well as the Special adviser to Governor Ajimobi on Communication and Strategy, Mr. Yomi Layinka. They urged the citizens of the state to be peaceful and law abiding, stressing that local governments election would still hold but not until the judicial process affecting its conduct dealt with.
According to Abimbola, “fifteen (15) claimants filed actions on behalf of some villages in some LGs in Oyo and 10 defendants have been joined in the suit which include the Oyo State Government, Oyo State House of Assembly, the Attorney General of the Federation, Accountant General of the Federation, Central Bank of Nigeria, Revenue Mobilization and Fiscal Commission, Federal Ministry of Finance, Independent National Electoral Commission, Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission and Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, the Alaafin of Oyo.
“The suit emanated based on the grievances of these plaintiffs on the creation of LCDAs in about two local governments in Oyo Town. They submitted their petitions to the LCDAs Petitions Review Committee headed by me like other aggrieved parties and they have made their presentations. Our committee has been sitting and complaints have been reviewed. However, we are surprised that the state government is taken to court over the issue they have made presentations on. They have the right to do so under that the provision of the constitution and the legality of the orders will be rigorously contested by the government.
“Meanwhile, we are going to abide by the interim order and that puts the conduct of the already scheduled February 11, 2017 local government elections on hold. The nation’s electoral body has been directed not to release the voters’ register and without this, there cannot be election. We want to reassure the citizens that election will hold as soon as we settle the court case. We urge the citizens to be law abiding and be peaceful in their endeavours,” the commissioner explained.
Responding to questions, the Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr. Toye Arulogun noted that it is a misrepresentation of facts for some individuals and groups to insinuate that the state government orchestrated the suit, adding that it would be unreasonable for the Oyo State Government to go to court to seek an order aimed at crippling the finances of local governments in the state at a very critical time such as this. He stressed that the order of the court had far reaching implications on the Government and the governed in the state.
Arulogun reiterated that the government has shown its readiness for the conduct of the elections by instituting OYSIEC, setting a date for elections, deploying resources to OYSIEC, printing of election materials and purchase of utility vehicles, pointing out that only a mischievous and cynical mind would doubt the government’s commitment to conduct the elections given the amount of evidence indicating the contrary.
Also, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Mr. Bimbo Kolade disclosed that majority of the people of the state had embraced the new LCDAs and demonstrated support by volunteering and pledging buildings as offices and homes, furniture and other essentials towards the successful take – off of the new LCDAs.
He, however appealed to the people of the state to remain calm and assured them that government will implement the LCDAs as an actualization of the yearnings of the people.
Dangote Petroleum Refinery has made headlines by announcing a further reduction in the price of diesel, dropping it from ₦1200 to ₦1000 naira per litre.
The refinery’s decision comes on the heels of its recent supply at a significantly reduced price of ₦1200 per litre, which was introduced three weeks ago, signifying a remarkable 30 per cent decrease from the previous market price of approximately ₦1600 per litre.
This substantial reduction in diesel prices at Dangote Petroleum Refinery is expected to reiterate positively throughout various sectors of the economy, potentially serving as a catalyst in alleviating the persistently high inflation rate in the country.
In a statement last week, Aliko Dangote, Africa’s wealthiest individual and the owner of the refinery, expressed his optimism regarding the potential impact of the price reduction on inflation in Nigeria.
“I believe that we are on the right track. I believe Nigerians have been patient, and I also believe that a lot of goodies will now come through. There’s quite a lot of improvement because if you look at it, one of the major issues that we’ve had was the naira devaluation that has gone very aggressively up to about ₦1900,” he remarked.
As anticipation builds around the implications of this move by Dangote Petroleum Refinery, stakeholders and consumers alike remain hopeful for the positive effects it could bring to the Nigerian economy in the coming months.
More than 50,000 Russian military personnel have died during the Ukraine conflict, the BBC reported Wednesday, citing its own reporters, independent media group Mediazona and volunteers.
They found that more than 27,300 Russian soldiers died during the second year of the war, a 25-percent increase on the first year.
BBC Russian, Mediazona and volunteers have been counting deaths since February 2022, using open-source information from official reports and the media, as well as using satellite images of Russian cemeteries to estimate the number of new graves.
The figure of more than 50,000 is eight times higher than the official toll acknowledged by Moscow in September 2022. It does not include deaths of militia in Donetsk and Lugansk in eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine said in February that it had lost 31,000 soldiers, but that figure is also likely to be significantly lower than the true toll.
Russian losses spiked in January 2023 as it launched a large-scale offensive in Donetsk and again months later last year during the battle for the city of Bakhmut.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation” at dawn on February 24, 2022, which has since turned into a bloody and attritional war, isolating Russia from the Western world.
Responding to the report, the Kremlin said it did not disclose any information on military deaths and casualties, which falls under the remit of the defence ministry.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov added official secrets laws and those covering what Russia calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine meant it was “absolutely understandable” that the ministry did not release the figures.
The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has disclosed that 95 million Nigerians need to enroll for the National Identification Number (NIN) to meet its target of 200 million enrollments by 2025.
Kayode Adegoke, Head of Corporate Communications at NIMC, emphasised the importance of this enrollment during an interview on X over the weekend.
He stated, “For NIMC to meet the 200 million target by 2025, 95 million Nigerians need to register for the NIN.”
Adegoke revealed that over 105 million NINs have been issued to Nigerians and legal residents so far.
He assured Nigerians of the commission’s commitment, saying, “We want to assure Nigerians that within the next one or two years, we will reach our target of enrolling all Nigerians.”
“The NIN serves as a unique identifier for each citizen and has become increasingly important for various government initiatives aimed at improving security, governance, and service delivery.”
Adegoke highlighted the efforts to streamline the modification and enrollment processes under the leadership of Abisoye Coker, the director-general of NIMC. He announced the development of a self-service platform, allowing Nigerians to make necessary modifications such as changing names, dates of birth, email addresses, and phone numbers from anywhere, using different devices.
Emphasising the convenience of the self-service modification portal, Adegoke encouraged Nigerians to utilize this innovative solution.
He noted the evolution of the process, citing the past requirement for applicants to visit NIMC offices for data corrections.
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