The plans designed to cut immigration figures are “forward looking rather than backward”, the UK Home Secretary James Cleverly announced on Wednesday.

Days ago the UK announced new immigration rules which provides that people must be earning at least £38,700 to bring a family member or partner from abroad to the UK . That is more than double the current £18,700 minimum income requirement.

The latest information however indicate that people already settled in Britain do not have to meet new salary thresholds when they renew their visas.

The salary will also apply to migrants applying for Skilled Worker visas, who must currently earn a minimum of £26,200 per year to come to Britain.

The wage requirements are expected to come into effect next spring as part of a swathe of Home Office visa changes.

But families said they had been left in limbo after the Government did not confirm how the approach would work or whether the much higher earnings threshold applies to both visa renewals and new applications.

Speaking to LBC, Cleverly said: “The proposals we put forward are forward looking not backward looking.

“We will make sure that we put clarity, because unfortunately, we made that announcement, and then the narrative moved on very, very quickly.

“And I’m conscious, that there are some people who at the moment are unsure and concerned because they don’t fully understand the proposals put forward. I have committed to make sure I have a clear explainer as to the implications on people.”

Asked whether those earning under £38,700 with family member already in the UK would be “okay”, Mr Cleverly replied: “Yes. This is forward looking rather than backward.”

A British mother-of-two who sponsors her Turkish husband to live in the UK told the Standard that the Government’s visa changes were “obscene” and would cause “severe” consequences for families who face being ripped apart.

“Go the extra mile to justify your appointments and do not create loopholes that could tarnish the image and reputation of the Court..” These are some of the cautionary words of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, on Wednesday at the opening of the 2023 Conference of Federal High Court Judges held at the Court’s headquarters in Abuja.

Charging them to stick to laws and rules of court, Chief Justice Ariwoola warned against taking their appointments for granted.

“Always write judgments that the Court of Appeal will have no option but to affirm. Being a judge is not child’s play, particularly in your court, where you don’t sit on a panel. You sit all alone.

“Go the extra mile to justify the appointments and do not create loopholes that could tarnish the image and reputation of the court.

“For the reasons I have just enumerated, I charge you not to take your appointments for granted. You must work harder to justify the appointments by always coming up with judgments and decisions that would not be rejected by the Appellate Courts,” he said.

Chief Judge of the court, Hon. Justice John Tsoho, recalled the establishment of the court 50 years ago with a single courtroom and five Judges in Lagos but has grown to 37 Divisions and 95 Judges at the moment.

His Lordship said that the 23 Judges recently appointed to beef up the performance of the court have since been inducted and deployed to various Divisions.

The PUNCH

By Dennis Agbo

A social critic and founder Nigeria’s Center for Public Policy and Research, Prof Sam Amadi has listed lack of social order, bad governance and the lack of attention to separatist agitators as main causes of the prevailing insecurity in the southeast region of Nigeria.

Amadi stated that as at 2016 the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, report indicated that the South East was the most peaceful and secured zone in Nigeria, but that things changed dramatically from 2019 and the region started seeing a dangerous turn around in security.

“Why did the most peaceful region become the most traumatized and insecure region in the country? The Igbo have a saying that truth in life and that you have to know where the rain started beating you to know when it ended,” Amadi said.

He noted that security was one of the critical drivers of development, which one cannot develop the economy without security.

“Economic growth is dependent on state order and state order has three variables; one, credible way of electing leaders, in our traditional culture we have a credible way of electing leaders, the Umunna gather and decide who will rule. The second aspect of social order is that the people in power can deliver goods, when you are elected you must deliver some benefits.

“Thirdly, you must have trust in the government. What I see in the south east is an increasing lack of social trust in institutions of leadership. Our young people, rightly or wrongly, have lost confidence that the leaders, informal or formal, can secure them and people have resorted to dangerous self help. Any society where people do not respect state order and everybody begins to achieve his own personal justice by his own understanding, it’s going to enter into anarchy. No matter how prosperous you are, anarchy will bring about poverty and that’s the order of nature.”

Amadi enunciated the critique when he spoke as the Keynote Speaker at the 2023 South East Security Summit, organized by Peace & Good Governance Group, in collaboration with the Enugu State command of the Nigeria Police, in Enugu on Wednesday. 

Amadi stressed that one common thing in any prosperous country is that there is always a reasonable state of order, discipline and security, adding that people cannot make investments except if they have security.

“The young people are the first casualties of insecurity. How? First, insecurity will disorient them into violence and when they become violent, they become unproductive. So today I want to encourage our young people to please care about security.

“Under M.I Okpara, the south east flourished, we became the fastest growing economy in the world, because we had the best social capital, what sustains an economy is social capital and it’s a capital that gets people united to achieve social harmony. The Igbo have the best social capital in the world. The Igbo state union, the Igbo elders, traditional rulers, and communities put heads together and trained the brightest and they came back and invested in the community.

“We don’t need police to police us every day, we have order, we have cultural norms, and the police are just to manage elements who veer off from the central cultural practice. Today, there is a generalized disorder and we have to fight it.

“While insecurity collapsed in the south east from 2019 was because of politics: The people who are at the center of the crisis are the politicians. Unregulated fight for political power led to the mobilization of the young people as touts and as thugs; that is politics without morality and without control.

“The second thing: some youths were killed in Emene some years ago and they said they were IPOB members. I asked the Governor of Enugu state to institute a judiciary commission of inquiry over the death of the 22 youths. The state government said I’m not from Enugu and asked why I was interested and I went to court and won the case. The High court asked the state government to set up an inquiry and they went on appeal.

“Now, if the government does not take responsibility to protect the lives of their own people and take it as a primary responsibility, it sends a message to the youths that they are on their own; therefore, you are telling them to disregard state order. The aggravator of insecurity in the south east today is the perception by the young people that nobody cares for them but they are victims of unfair state actions,” Amadi said.

Convener of the summit, Mr. Monday Diamond said he was motivated into convening the summit because he was a youth and because of the level of insecurity in the south eastern region, which he said has crippled the region’s economy for over two years.

He stated that the first thing to do in order to mitigate insecurity was for the governments to institute good governance and secondly for all hands to be on deck to facilitate the release of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu which he noted will also bring to an end the issue of Sit-at-Home.

“The issue of some youths who feel that they are not Nigerians, that they are Biafrans, will also understand that Nigeria is one country. Let the youths understand that taking up arms will not give us an independent country of Biafra. I subscribe to a better Nigeria where everybody will be recognized and valued,” Diamond said. 

A yet-to-be-identified woman has allegedly kidnapped two minors who are children of her landlord and neighbour in the Sango Ota area of Ogun State.

The woman was said to have disappeared with the two kids three days after she moved into the apartment.

The command’s Public Relations Officer, Omolola Odutola, confirmed the incident to PUNCH Metro on Wednesday.

Odutola told our correspondent that the landlord, Johnson Oshinowo, reported that a woman whom he rented his apartment to on December 7, 2023 abducted his son and another neighbour’s son, who were both four years old.

He claimed that the woman who had just spent three days at the apartment has no known identity as the landlord and the house agent did not conduct a profile check before renting the apartment to her.

She said, “On December 12, 2023, at about 0835hrs, a landlord informed the police that he rented a room apartment to a woman on December, 7 and on December 11, the woman abducted his son and his neighbour’s son without any trace of their destination.

“Immediately the report was received, detectives swung into action and visited the scene to conduct preliminary inquiries.

“From the preliminary investigation, it was gathered by the detectives that the woman had only spent three days in the rented house without any known background information. It was also gathered that the landlord and house agent have no profile of the suspect.”

She disclosed further that the Commissioner of Police, CP Abiodun Alamutu, has directed a discrete investigation into the abduction to ensure that the suspect was tracked down.

“The CP has directed a discrete investigation and urged operatives to intensify their efforts to track down the suspect and rescue the children,” Odutola concluded.

The PUNCH

• Commits to expanding market opportunities

• NBA Abuja Chair (Unity Bar) felicitates with Obegolu

Chief Dr. Emeka Obegolu SAN is the new President of the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry, (ACCI).

The ex-president, Pan African lawyers Union and Founding Partner Greenfield Chambers takes over from Alhaji Al-Mujtaba Abubakar.

After his inauguration at the 33rd Annual General Meeting (AGM) of ACCI alongside other newly elected officials on Thursday at Abuja, Obegolu said his administration will ensure infrastructure development and ease of business in the country.

“As we move forward, our focus will be on Improving our value proposition, encouraging participatory membership, infrastructural development, professionalising our secretariat and repositioning our brand.

“We will also focus on legislative and Policy advocacy, ease of doing business and expanding market opportunities. As we stand at this juncture, let us unite with optimism, determination, and a shared sense of purpose. ACCI has an illustrious past, and together, we will script an even brighter future.

” I am honoured to lead as your President and eagerly anticipate collaborating with each of you to realise our collective vision of a thriving business community in Abuja,” he said.

Expressing his appreciation for the honour of being the 12th President of the chamber, Obegolu called for cooperation from members and stakeholders in carrying out his mandate.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Abuja Branch (Unity Bar) Afam O. Okeke, Esq. AICMC in his congratulatory message extolled the Learned Silk adding that with his proven capacity over the years, he would take ACCI to greater heights.

A celebratory Okeke said: We are very proud of the Learned Silk and we wish him a very successful tenure. Indeed the branch is proud of all the successes he has garnered over the years. Really, it has been a season of wins and celebrations for the Unity Bar with David Owoicho Adejo-Ogiri one of our own becoming the first Nigerian to be appointed a judge of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA). We are thankful to the Almighty for this great honour.”

Emeka J.P. Obegolu, SAN, PhD hails from Obeledu in Anaocha local government area of Anambra State. He is a Senior and Founding Partner of Greenfield Chambers. He is a graduate of the Faculty of Law Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka where he obtained his LL.B. (Hons), and has since been called to the Nigerian Bar. He holds a Master’s degree in Mineral Law and Policy (LL.M.) from the University of Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom, a Doctorate degree in Arbitration from Nnamdi Azikiwe University, and a Diploma in International Commercial Arbitration from the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK).

He is a practicing Arbitrator and Mediator, holding Fellowship of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK) and the Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators (ICMC), with much experience acting as Sole Arbitrator, Presiding Arbitrator and Counsel in commercial arbitrations, and Mediator in labour, commercial, family and communal disputes.

Emeka Obegolu is an accredited Neutral of the Uwais Dispute Resolution Centre (formerly Abuja Multi-door Courthouse), the Federal High Court ADR Centre, the Nigerian Chambers of Commerce Dispute Resolution Centre, the Edo State Multi-door Courthouse, the Abia State Multi-door Courthouse, the Ogun State Multi-door Courthouse, and the Plateau State Multi-door Courthouse.

He has spoken in many conferences over the years, some of which are Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators, Tanzania Institute of Arbitrators, Nigerian Institute of Chartered Arbitrators, International Bar Association, Pan African Lawyers Union, and Deutshche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), and is an experienced Trainer with a concentration on Arbitration, Negotiation and Mediation.

Chief Obegolu is a past President and Life Member of the Governing Council of the Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators, a past President of the Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU), a past National General Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association, a past National Publicity Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association, a past Council member of the Council of Legal Education, and a past member of the Governing Council of the Legal Aid Council.

A member of the  IBB Golf and country club, he is the Chairman of the Governing Council of the Nigerian Chambers of Commerce Dispute Resolution Centre (NCCDRC), the Chairman of the Governing Council of the Institute of ADR Registrars, and the 1st Deputy President of the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI).

Obegolu also sits on the Board of Trustees and Governing Council of the Gemstones Miners and Marketers Association of Nigeria and the Abuja Chamber of Commerce Business and Entrepreneurship Skills Acquisition Centre, respectively.

Sir. Agabaidu Chukwuemeka Jideani was elected as Director-General, Prof Adesoji Adesugba became the 1st Deputy President, while Dr Aliyu Hong emerged as the 2nd Deputy President of ACCI.

 Sir. Agabaidu Chukwuemeka Jideani a former Director-General, Ethics and Corporate Compliance Institute of Nigeria has been appointed as the the new Director General of the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI). His appointment was approved by the President of the ACCI Alhaji Al-Mujtaba Abubakar.

A Human Rights, Governance, Risk & Compliance Expert, Jideani was on 18 May, 2021, confirmed by the Senate as Member of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

Chukwuemeka Jideani’s appointment comes as the outgoing DG, Dr. Victoria Akai, leaves the position on January 4th, 2024 after years of commendable service.

Sir Agabaidu Jideani takes the reins from the outgoing Director General, Dr. Victoria Akai, who has served the ACCI with distinction and dedication. Dr. Akai’s tenure, marked by impactful and meritorious service, comes to a close on the 4th of January 2024, as she moves on to pursue new endeavors.

The Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry, as a pivotal private sector organized business platform in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and its environs, plays a crucial role in supporting and enhancing business and economic development. The chamber is renowned for its various programs and activities that contribute to the growth not only of its members but also the national and FCT economy.

As the leading private sector business advocacy platform in the FCT, the ACCI aims to ensure continuous progress in supporting and enhancing economic development through its programs. President Al-Mujtaba Abubakar has led the Chamber on a growth trajectory over the past three years.

Sir. Agabaidu, ex- Director-General, Ethics and Corporate Compliance Institute of Nigeria, brings a wealth of experience to the role, and his vision aligns seamlessly with the goals and objectives of the ACCI. His appointment is anticipated to contribute significantly to the continued success of the ACCI as it remains at the forefront of fostering economic development and providing valuable support to businesses in the FCT.

The ACCI expresses its gratitude to the outgoing Director General, Dr. Victoria Akai, for her remarkable contributions during her tenure, and looks forward to a seamless transition under the leadership of Sir Agabaidu Jideani.

The Nigerialawyer