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Cabal Has Hijacked NBA, Balkanisation Is Imminent — Falana, SAN

By Lanre Adewole

In another lengthy analysis of the crisis rocking the association, Falana alleged that a cabal had seized the body, dictating its affairs as desired, including at branch level.

He said, “Regrettably, the house has been turned upside down, once again, as its foundation is under serious attack from a cabal of bar leaders who have institutionalised the biennial imposition of national officers through e-fraud elections. “Even branch elections of the NBA are also manipulated with impunity by the same reactionary forces.

Hence, many branches of the NBA are managed, from time to time, by caretaker committees imposed on them by national officers whose own mandate is questionable. “If the NBA does not arrest the ugly development in a decisive manner, as soon as possible, there is going to be an implosion with dire consequences.

Therefore, the lawyers who are desirous to have a united bar should be prepared to ensure that the elections of the officers of the NBA are conducted in a credible and transparent manner while the affairs of the body are managed in a democratic manner.

“Otherwise, the Balkanisation of the NBA is a matter of time. After all, it has just been confirmed that only 18,000 out of the over 200,000 lawyers on the role of legal practitioners in Nigeria participated in the just concluded controversial 2020 NBA election.”

Falana also commented on the withdrawal of the invitation to the Kaduna State governor to speak at the NBA conference, saying the governor was rightly disinvited by the NBA but “the leaders embarrassed Nigerian lawyers when they allowed other fellow abusers of the rule of law and violators of human rights to address the 60th-anniversary conference of the NBA.”

“On realising the discriminatory treatment meted out to el Rufai, the immediate past president of NBA, Mr Paul Usoro SAN was full of apologies. In principle, the NBA had disinvited Professor Maurice Iwu of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in 2008.

So, a body may be compelled to disinvite its guest, but the grounds must be solid and not self-serving. “By the way, the NBA could not have disinvited Governor Nyesom Wike, having regards to the investment of his government in the NBA. That was why he was made a life bencher by his friends in the echelon of the NBA. So, the NBA cannot afford to embarrass its own life bencher.

“The NBA is the richest professional body in Nigeria. Yet, it goes around cap in hand, begging governors to sponsor its conferences and other programmes. In the process, the NBA has compromised and traded off its autonomy. “Unfortunately, the New Nigerian Bar Association members are breaking away on a wrong footing. No group of lawyers should dismember the NBA in defence of a man who has a penchant for treating court orders with absolute contempt.

“My firm view is that if the NBA is going to break up, let it be on the basis of serious ideological disagreements over the fact that the body has abandoned its aims and objectives for opportunistic reasons.

“Let the promoters of the Northern Nigerian Bar Association challenge the NBA by defending democracy, human rights and public accountability. Let them undertake to defend people the rights of children to education. Let them be prepared to fight against child marriage.

“Lawyers who want to give the NBA a fight should be ready to join the human rights community in promoting the socio-economic rights of the people through public interest litigation. “However, let the defenders of the “united bar” of fraud continue to defend themselves. They will soon realise that the NNBA members are not alone in the planned Balkanisation of the NBA on the grounds of fraudulent elections, financial malpractice, and dictatorship by a tiny cabal that has privatised the NBA,” he said.

In a telephone conversation with Sunday Tribune, the rights advocate said the revolting Northern lawyers were doing the right thing the wrong way. “They are leaving on a wrong footing. You can’t be protesting for (Governor Nasir) el- Rufai, a man who breaches court orders at will.

And they can’t call it New NBA. It is the Northern Bar, but nobody can force anybody to remain when you keep conducting fraudulent elections. “Three times now, you have conducted fraudulent elections and no law says everybody must belong to one professional association.”

Culled from Nigerian tribune

NBA CRISIS: South-West May Likely Follow North

By Lanre Adewole

THE crisis rocking the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) is not going away any time soon. Apart from the formation of a splinter group in the North, the South West NBA with the highest number of lawyers has also not abandoned its threat to break away from the national body.

In protesting the outcome of the just-concluded election of the association, South West Lawyers’ Forum known as Egbe Amofin, unequivocally said it would likely lead its members elsewhere, if the election that produced new president, Olumide Akpata, is not voided.

In a letter to the Trustees of the association, Egbe Amofin, which supported the candidacy of Deacon Dele Adesina, SAN, alleged electoral fraud and demanded wholesale cancellation of the election. Responding to the petition from Adesina who lost the presidential contest to Akpata, a member of the Outer Bar, the Trustees, led by a former president of the association, Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, regretted the shortcomings of the poll, but pleaded with the petitioner to accept the outcome in the “larger interest of the NBA.”

Adesina and Egbe Amofinhave yet to make their next line of action known regarding the refusal of the Trustees to void the election. Chief Niyi Akintola, SAN, a frontline leader of Egbe Amofin, who signed the Forum’s disavowal and threat to form a new lawyers’ association, told Sunday Tribune at the weekend that the Forum would meet this week to deliberate on the developing issues within the association.

He didn’t give a specific day of the week for the meeting and was certain a decision had not been taken. He lamented the crisis rocking the association, adding that the leaders of the Bar in the South West are monitoring the situation.

In the heat of the postelection protestation by lawyers from the South West, a name and logo of a supposed new association flew around. The supposed new association’s name was Nigeria Lawyers’ Association (NLA).

Another prominent South West lawyer not opposed to new associations coming out of NBA is Mr Femi Falana, SAN. Immediately after the disputed poll, he had penned an accusatory op-ed, condemning the process and the outcome, noting that nothing made membership of NBA mandatory.

Scion of one of the longest-serving presidents of the association, Chief Ladi Rotimi- Williams, SAN is against factionalisation, but he insisted that if it must be, then it should be in a larger context. Quoting him, “First, I don’t subscribe to NBA being split.

We met it as NBA when we became lawyers and it must remain, except the country itself is split into parts and it is not happening. “I believe in an election someone must win and whoever loses should approach the tribunal or court. Two, (Olumide) Akpata is part of the greater Yoruba nation outside the South-West, so he is one of us. Three, Yoruba themselves are not united,” he said.

Culled from Nigerian tribune

NNPC Remittance to Federation Account Hits N1.87trn in One Year

*Zainab Ahmed Named African Finance Minister of the Year

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) remitted a total of N1.87 trillion to the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) between June 2019 and June 2020, the latest report from the national oil company has indicated. The full financial report for June also showed that compared to May, NNPC’s operating revenue increased by 32 per cent, but that was wiped out by the corporation’s cumulative expenditure, which equally went up by 32.8 per cent.

Payments are made to the Federation Account by NNPC after the adjustment of crude and product losses as well as pipeline repairs and management cost incurred during the period.
According to the corporation, for the month under consideration, all its Strategic Business Units (SBUs) suffered various levels of losses, except four, with operating deficit on the non-functional refineries standing at over N10 billion.

The corporation disclosed, “In June 2020, NNPC remitted the sum of N68.42 billion to the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC). From June 2019 to June 2020, total NNPC remittances to FAAC is N1.870.13 trillion. Out of this, Federation and JV (Joint Venture) with government priority projects received the sum of N845.42 billion and N1.024 trillion, respectively.
“June 2020, group operating revenue as compared to May 2020, increased by 32.05 per cent or N76.39 billion to stand at N314.72 billion.

“In the same trend, expenditure for the month increased by 32.80 per cent or N77.30 billion, at N312.95 billion. This month (June) expenditure as a proportion of revenue is marginally below par at 0.99; just as was recorded in the previous month.”
NNPC further said it experienced a lower trading surplus of N2.12 billion compared to the N2.68 billion surplus in May 2020, when the world began a fragile recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, it noted that there was a 21 per cent net increase in performance, which it attributed primarily to the 166 per cent rise in surplus posted by the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), one of its subsidiaries. The corporation noted that this was a reflection of the on-going global rise in market fundamentals for the second consecutive month, explaining that in addition, the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC) continued to enjoy a drop in average product landing cost as profit increased by 22 per cent.

According to the corporation, takings from the Nigerian Gas Company (NGC), Nigerian Gas Marketing Company (NGMC), and Duke Oil Incorporated grew by 16 per cent, one per cent, and 127 per cent, respectively.
Besides NPDC, PPMC, NGC, and NGMC, which it said recorded relatively commendable performances, all other SBUs, NNPC said, recorded further loss positions with the headquarters’ deficit increasing by 71 per cent compared to May, due to increased terminal benefits made to retired staff that reduced the group surplus for the month.

Still following the trend in the last couple of months, there was no sale of special products in the month, but 767.42 million litres of petrol were supplied into the country through a Direct Sale Direct Purchase (DSDP) arrangement.

The combined value of output by the three refineries (at import parity price) for June 2020 amounted to just about N0.04 billion, with no associated freight cost since there was no production, but operational expenses amounted to N10.27 billion, resulting in an operating deficit of N10.23 billion by the refineries for the month.

While the average crude oil price for the month further increased by $10.04 or 34.7 per cent month-on-month, NNPC projected that the world economic growth will remain unchanged in 2020 at 3.4 per cent.

The corporation said it expected the global economy to grow by 4.1 per cent in 2021 based on the assumptions that COVID-19 will largely be contained on the global level by the fourth quarter of 2020. NNPC said it also expected that no further significant issues will derail economic developments. It stressed that national gas production in June decreased by 0.26 per cent at 231.28BCF compared to output in May 2020, translating to an average daily production of 7,709.38mmscfd.

Meanwhile, Minister of Finance, Dr (Mrs) Zainab Ahmed has been named the African Finance Minister of the Year.

In choosing Zainab as the finance minister of the year, the organisers noted that despite difficult circumstances she was able to push through a set of difficult reforms as well as successfully engaging international partners to help the country navigate an extremely challenging economic environment.

Similarly, the Managing Director of Access Bank, Herbert Wigwe was named African Banker of the year.

Nigeria’s Bank of Industry was awarded the Small and Medium Enterprises Bank of the Year.

Ecobank also won the Innovation in Banking Award.

The awards, were held virtually held under the high patronage of the African Development Bank.

It was sponsored by the African Guarantee Fund as Platinum Sponsor, the Bank of Industry as Gold Sponsor and Moza Banco as Associate Sponsor.

The organisers said the awards were pushed back to August to coincide with the African Development Bank Annual Meetings which took place this week, with the election of the new president of the bank expected tomorrow.

Following on from what was seen as a lack of inclusion last year, the organisers put an emphasis to reward institutions that ensured that women and financial inclusion at the forefront of their agenda.

The awards are considered the Oscars of the African banking community and given the impartial selection and judging process are the most respected in the field.

The Central Bank Governor of the year went to Caroline Abel, from the Seychelles.

African Banker Icon was given to Vivien Shobo, who was the CEO of ratings and advisory firm, Agusto & Co up until last December. She was recognised for playing an instrumental role in developing Nigeria’s credit markets and also for helping grow a truly world class organisation that is competing against much better resourced international players.

Tunisian pioneer Ahmed Abdelkefi won the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Culled from Thisday

Innocent Ike appointed acting MD of Polaris Bank


The Board of Polaris Bank Limited and Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), the bank’s shareholder, today appointed Innocent C. Ike as the bank’s Acting Managing Director/CEO. He replaces Tokunbo Abiru, who will be proceeding on his retirement, having successfully completed his two terms of two years each, first as Group Managing Director/CEO, Skye Bank Plc and Managing Director/CEO Polaris Bank Limited. This takes effect from 31 August 2020. We all wish him the best in his future endeavours.

“In line with a culture of good corporate governance and succession planning, the Board of Polaris Bank Limited and Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), the Bank’s shareholder, have announced the appointment of Mr. Innocent C. Ike as the Acting Managing Director/CEO of Polaris Bank Limited effective 1 September 2020,” the bank said in a statement signed by the Company Secretary, Babatunde Osibodu.

The incoming Acting Managing Director/CEO was until now the Executive Director, Technology & Services while also overseeing the South-South/South East Directorate of the Bank.

Accordingly, not only has he been a pivotal part of the Bank since July 2016, but a major driver of the Corporate Transformation journey.

This gives an assurance of continuity: a definite continuation of the strategic plans and initiatives that brought the Bank the successes it has recorded till date. Mr. Innocent Ike has garnered over three decades’ professional experience in the Banking Industry. He is a graduate of Accounting from the University of Lagos, a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), a Certified IFRS Expert and an Honorary Senior Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN). He holds an Executive Certificate in Strategy & Innovation from MIT Sloan School of Management; Boston and he is also a Member of Institute of Directors (IOD).

With this change of baton, the Bank is set to continue to deliver on the sterling performance reflected in the full year 2019 results in which the Bank posted Profit After Tax (PAT) of N27billion. To buttress the fact that this is sustainable, the Bank’s first half 2020 result showed a PAT of over N18billion, despite the tremendous headwinds brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Board of Directors of the Bank is confident that Polaris Bank will benefit immensely from Mr. Ike’s skills and wealth of experience. With his hard work and diligence, the Bank is bound to continue to thrive under his leadership. Polaris Bank is a future-determining Bank committed to the delivery of industry-defining products, and services, across all sectors of the Nigerian economy.

SERAP Sues Buhari Over ‘Failure To Publish Details Of N800bn Recovered Loot’

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against President Muhammadu Buhari over failure to “disclose information and documents relating to the names of people from whom N800 billion in looted public funds have been recovered, specific dates of the recovery, and details of projects on which the money has been spent.”

The President had in paragraph 78 of his speech to mark the occasion of the Democracy Day on June 12, 2020, stated that: “the government has recovered looted funds in excess of N800 billion. These monies are being ploughed into development and infrastructure projects.”

In the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1064/2020 filed last Friday at the Federal High Court, Abuja, SERAP is seeking: “an order for leave to apply for judicial review and an order of mandamus to direct and/or compel President Buhari to publish a comprehensive list of names of people from whom N800 billion in looted funds have been recovered, the details of spending of the money, and the specific dates of the recovery.”

SERAP is also seeking: “an order of mandamus to direct and compel President Buhari to instruct appropriate anti-corruption agencies to promptly, thoroughly and transparently investigate alleged payment of N51 billion of public funds into individual private accounts in 2019.”

Joined in the suit as Respondents are Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN, Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, and Mrs Zainab Ahmed, Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning.

In the suit, SERAP is arguing that: “The court ought to compel the Respondents to disclose the details and whereabouts of the public funds. There is no legally justifiable reason why the information should not be made widely available to Nigerians, especially as the Nigerian Constitution of 1999 (as amended) requires the government in section 15(5) to abolish all forms of corruption. That means ensuring transparency and accountability in the management of public resources and wealth.”

The suit followed SERAP’s Freedom of Information (FoI) request dated 13 June, 2020 to President Buhari, stating that: “The public has a right to know how recovered N800bn loot has been spent, and the details and purpose of the alleged payments of N51bn into individual private accounts. Transparency over transactions by the government is critical to ensuring public confidence in the integrity of management of public resources and wealth.”

SERAP is also arguing that: “Granting the reliefs sought will ensure transparency and accountability, as the information sought to be published will reveal the truth of where money is going and why it is there, and allow Nigerians an opportunity to assess the impacts of any projects carried out with the recovered loot and the alleged payments into individual private accounts.”

The suit filed on behalf of SERAP by its lawyers Kolawole Oluwadare and Opeyemi Owolabi, read in part: “As a signatory to the UN Convention against Corruption, the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption, and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Nigeria has committed to ensure transparent management of public resources, and unhindered access to public information. These commitments ought to be fully upheld and respected.”

“Transparency and accountability in governance is in the public interest. Publishing the details regarding the N800 billion recovered loot and investigating the alleged suspicious payments into personal accounts would be entirely consistent with Nigeria’s international anti-corruption commitments.”

“The authorities are required to set the highest standards of transparency, accountability and probity in the management of these resources and wealth, and the programmes that they oversee.”

“Disclosing the details of projects on which the N800bn recovered loot have been spent and publishing a comprehensive list of names of people from whom they have been recovered, as well as investigating alleged payment of billions of naira into individual private accounts, would be entirely consistent with the oft-expressed anti-corruption commitments by the government.”

It would be recalled that BudgIT, a civic tech organization, recently reported that “the open treasury portal by the federal government allegedly showed that payments totalling N51bn were made into individual accounts in 2019.”

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.

Alleged Libel: Cubana Chief Priest Replies Ledrop Nigeria Limited Demands Apology To Be Published In 5 Dallies

Popular Instagram celebrity, Paschal Okechukwu a.k.a Cubana Chief Priest has demanded Ledrop Nigeria Limited, to withdraw a libelous letter against him and to tender written apology to him.

The lawyer to Cubana Chief Priest, Chief C.I. Asika Ilobi disclosed this in a letter titled “IN THE MATTER OF YOUR SCANDALOUS AND DEFAMATORY LETTER CAPTIONED “ALLEGED THREAT TO LIFE, ASSAULT AND BATTERY OF REKIYA JIBRIL BY PASCHAL OKECHUKWU A.K.A CUBANA CHIEF PRIEST WHO IS ALLEGEDLY A BRAND AMBASSADOR OF VBANK”. OUR RESPONSE THERETO” dated 28th August, 2020, addressed to the law firm of Abimbola Fakeye Chambers, and made available to TheNigerialawyer(TNL).

Recall that Chief Priest, on 23rd August, was accused of assaulting one of his female employees, Rekiya Jibril, at Cubana nightclub in Owerri which Chief Priest manages.

Cubana not only taking exception to the content of the letter earlier addressed to him by Ledrop Nigeria Limited’s lawyer but denied knowing any person with the name Rekiya Jibril, or having any physical contact with her at any time.

Asika Ilobi said ordinarily, he wouldn’t want to join issues with them but he has to react to deny the obvious spurious, frivolous, false, malicious and unfounded allegations leveled against his client in the said letter.

“It is our instruction to state clearly herein that our client does not know any lady called Rekiya Jibril, neither did he have any encounter whatsoever with such a person at any given time either on the 24th day of August, 2020, or any other day whatsoever.

“Our client did not, and could not have physically assaulted the said Rekiya Jibril, let alone “punching her in the eyes thereby causing her bodily harm in the course of rightfully discharging her official duties at the club in Owerri, Imo State”.

“It is worth stating at this juncture that our client is an ardent supporter of women’s rights, with great passion for their welfare, by reason of which he has constantly devoted his hard-earned resources, time and energy towards promoting the cause of women and womanhood over the years, for which several international organizations, churches and corporate bodies have written to him in deep appreciation. These are facts of common knowledge available on public domain.

“It is germane to also state at this juncture that our client who is happily married with children, all of who are males, has been fervently praying to Almighty God to give him a female child, cannot under any circumstance, do anything to offend against the sensibilities of womanhood as doing so would go contrary to his passionate petition to his Creator, the Almighty God.

“Latent in your letter is a clear malice against our client. It is not arguable that our client had sometimes had a business relationship with your client (Ledrop Nigeria Limited), during which time, our client employed his world acclaimed marketing strategies to the advantage of your client from which your client derived enormous financial benefits running into millions of dollars.

“However, since the only constant phenomenon in life is change, our client left your client for greener pastures and higher attainments in life, by reason of which, your client has sworn to run him down by all means, one of which means, is your letter under reference. “Consequently, your allegation as stated at page 2, paragraph 1 of the said letter, which reads thus: “We hereby bring to your notice that PASCHAL OKECHUKWU was initially utilized by our client as an influencer but his contract was not renewed due to similar previous behaviour”, is completely false, malicious and a further pointer to the frustration of your client, occasioned by our client’s decision to part with your client, resulting in our client’s firm decision to terminate his then contract with your client in the year, 2019.

He, therefore, demands written apology from Ledrop Nigeria Limited which is to be published by 5 national dallies within seven days.

“It is by reason of the foregoing that our client instructed us to demand that you write us a letter, as well as all the brands attached to our clients, withdrawing your libelous letter with an unreserved apology, we hereby, pursuant to that instruction, demand that within a period of seven (7) days of your receipt of this letter, you write the said letter of apology to us, which apology must be published in five (5) national dailies, failing which, we shall have no other alternative than to initiate legal proceedings against your client in the High Court of Justice for redress.

The Inspector-General of Police, The Acting Director-General, Department of State Services (DSS), The Commissioner of Police, Imo State and Imo State Director, Department of State Services (DSS), Owerri, Imo State, were copied.

Governor Ganduje Of Kano Should Be Sentenced To Death For Allegedly Collecting Bribe — Aisha Yesufu

Aisha Yesufu, a leader of the Bring Back Our Girls movement, has condemned Kano State governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, for expressing readiness to sign the death warrant of a musician, Yahaya Sharif-Aminu over alleged blasphemy.

Speaking at a gathering of religious leaders, legal practitioners, security personnel and government officials on Thursday, Ganduje had said he won’t waste time in signing the warrant for the execution of Sharif-Aminu if he does not appeal the Sharia Court ruling that sentenced him to death by hanging on August 10.

Yesufu in a tweet on Friday said that the governor should also be sentenced to death for allegedly collecting bribe.

She said, “Ganduje was caught on camera allegedly collecting bribe. In sharia law, any gift to public servant belongs to the state talkless of one caught collecting bribe.

“There is no immunity in sharia law. Ganduje should be the one sentenced to death not signing death warrant.”

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UPDATED: Sanwo-Olu Orders Reopening Of Tertiary Institutions Sept 14

Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has ordered reopening of tertiary institutions in the state from September 14, 2020.

The Governor announced this on Saturday at a press conference on the 17th update on coronavirus at Lagos House, Marina.

He said primary and secondary schools would re-open anytime from September 21, 2020.

He, however, said the decision was subject to a review of ongoing modelling of response to the pandemic.

Restaurants, Sanwo-Olu said, are permitted to open for in-dining services and they must ensure maintenance of 50% maximum occupancy at any point in time.

“They must also have obtained a Provisional Safety Compliance Certificate through the registration portal of the Lagos State Safety Commission: www.lasgsafetyreg.com.

“Social Clubs and recreational centres that have Registered Trustees have also been permitted to open on the condition that they have applied for and obtained a Provisional Safety Compliance Certificate through the registration portal of the Lagos State Safety Commission: www.lasgsafetyreg.com.”

He said the government is sympathetic to the plight of business owners, particularly those in the hospitality and tourism sectors but reviewing the permissible opening dates and will advise on this in September.

“For the avoidance of doubt, all event centres, bars, lounges, night clubs, spas, beaches, cinemas, gyms and game arcades remain closed for now,” he added.

The Governor was pleased with the easing of the lockdown but warned “the fact that we have been seeing a gradual easing of the lockdown does not mean that we are now returning to our old way of doing things.

“The easing you are seeing is the outcome of a careful and deliberate attempt to ensure that livelihoods are not crippled by the overwhelmingly disruptive impact of the virus. It is certainly not an invitation to carelessness or nonchalance.”

Sanwo-Olu said, “The 10pm (to 4am) curfew is still on. It is a national regulation and it was issued by the PTF (Presidential Task Force on Covid-19). We will be having a discussion with the PTF during the week and if we have additional information, we will be passing across.

“This is a decision that was taken by the President himself. It is a national issue, so, the curfew is still on. And we still need to comply with the Federal Government directives.”

The PTF, following the lifting of the lockdown occasioned by the pandemic, had on May 4, 2020, imposed a nationwide curfew from 8am to 6pm. It later reviewed the timing from 10pm to 4am on June 1, 2020.

Rivers Govt To Upgrade Nigerian Law School In Yenagoa, Bayelsa State

* To construct two new hostels
* Build 1,500 capacity multi-purpose hall

Rivers State Government is to construct two new hostels that will accommodate nine hundred students each at the Nigerian Law School, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

The State Government is to also build a 1, 500 capacity Multi-Purpose Hall at the school.

Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike announced this today when he visited the school in company of the Director General of the Nigerian Law School, Professor Isa Hayatu Chiroma.

He said the gesture was part of the state government’s contribution to the development of legal education in the country.

“Rivers State also belongs to the South-South, so we think that we should also make our own contribution.

“Accordingly, our State will construct two new hostels to accommodate nine hundred students each and also build a multipurpose hall that will accommodate 1,500 students.

“Ordinarily, this school was supposed to be located in Port Harcourt, but the former administration rejected the offer made to them.

“You know also that Bayelsa State was created out of Rivers State. Hence, we are still the same and whatever I can do in Rivers State, I can also do in Bayelsa State,” he stated.

Governor Wike noted that despite the economic challenges faced by the state, it will source funds from its scarce resources to execute the project.

He said the present economic challenges would not stop his administration from solving problems.

“This project will be executed immediately because we do not make promises without fulfilling them.

“I have directed the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice to write to the Director General to forward the design, so we can commence work immediately, “he added.

Responding, the Director General of the Nigerian Law School, Professor Isa Hayatu Chiroma expressed gratitude to Governor Wike and the Rivers State Government for the support, saying the school would ever remain grateful.

ECOWAS, Mali Military Agree On Transition Programme

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Malian military junta have reached an agreement on the transition programme.

The military junta, which had insisted on a three- year programme, settled for the formation of a civilian transitional government to run the affairs of the country in the next twelve months.

This agreement was contained in the declaration made available to the media after a video conference meeting among the Heads of State, the ECOWAS Mediator, Goodluck Jonathan, and the CNSP leadership, the military body running the country.

The Summit was said to have considered the report of the mission by the ECOWAS Mediator, which took place from Saturday 22 to Monday 24 August 2020, to assess the recent development.

The summit called on the Malian military leadership to immediately begin the process for a civilian transition in consultation with the Constitutional Court as well as all relevant parties and stakeholders.

ECOWAS urged them to take into account the following considerations: Appointment of a Transition President.

He/she should be a civilian and known for his/her professional qualities as well as intellectual and moral probity and shall be responsible for leading the transition.

The Transition President will not stand as a candidate in the next presidential election.

The Summit also took note of the decision of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita to resign as stated by the Mediator and also welcomed his release as well as the other detained government officials.

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