Home Blog Page 693

Download Judgment: How Court of Appeal set aside Tribunal ruling which sacked Kano Governor, Kabir Yusuf, ordered APC to pay him N1million

  • When we say the judiciary in #Nigeria is crooked, ppl wonder how so — Odinkalu

The Court of Appeal actually set aside the ruling of the Kano Governorship Election Tribunal which sacked Governor Kabir Yusuf and ordered the All Progressives Congress (APC) to pay him N1million, according to the certified copy of the ruling, obtained by SaharaReporters on Tuesday.

According to the court document, the appeal court set aside the ruling of the election tribunal in the petition of the APC, PT/KN/GOV/01/2023 between the APC and the governor.

It had been reported on November 17 that the Court of Appeal in Abuja upheld the ruling of the Election Petitions Tribunal sacking Governor Yusuf of Kano State.

The court had said that the Appeal Court agreed with the judgment of the tribunal, ruling that the fielding of Abba Yusuf was in breach of the Electoral Law as he was not qualified to contest that Election.

Taking to to his X handle, Law teacher and ex-Chair of the National Human Rights Commission. Chidi Odinkalu said:” When we say the judiciary in #Nigeria is crooked, ppl wonder how so. Look: the Court of Appeal in Kano governorship case resolved all the issues “in favour of the appellant & against the 1st Respondent.” Yet it found the appeal lacking in merit & liable to be dismissed. Explain!”

The verdict comes nearly two months after the Kano Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, on September 20 sacked Yusuf and declared the APC candidate, Nasiru Gawuna, as the winner of the March 18 election.

According to the certified court documents of the Court of Appeal obtained by SaharaReporters, Yusuf Abba Kabir is the appellant while the APC, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) are the first, second and third respondents respectively.

The court ruling read by Justice Moore Aseimo Abraham Adumen, said, “I will conclude by stating that the live issues in this appeal are hereby resolved in favour of the 1 respondent and against the appellant. In the circumstances, I resolve all the issues in favour of the appellant and against the 1 respondent.

Download JUDGMENT IN YUSUF ABBA KABIR v. APC & ORS.pdf

“Therefore, I find no merit in this appeal which is liable to be and is hereby dismissed. The judgment of the tribunal in Petition No.: PT/KN/GOV/01/2023 between: ALL PROGRESSIVES CONGRESS APC) v. INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION & 2 RS. delivered on the 20th day of September, 2023 is hereby set aside.

“The sum of N1,000,000.00 (one million naira only) is hereby awarded 5 costs in favour of the appellant and against the 1st respondent.”

It was signed by MOORE ASEIMO ABRAHAM ADUMEΙΝ JUSTICE, COURT OF APPEAL,

Yusuf, who contested on the platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), was declared the winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after the poll in March.

The tribunal deducted 165,663 votes from Yusuf’s total as invalid votes, stating that the affected ballot papers were not stamped or signed and therefore declared invalid.

The ruling came about six months after the APC candidate conceded defeat to Yusuf in the wake of INEC’s presentation of the certificate of return to the NNPP candidate.

In the wake of the judgment, the APC hailed it and described it as a show of the vibrancy of the nation’s judiciary, but kept mute on the N1million awarded against the party.

“As we applaud the judiciary for its courage and professionalism in discharging its important constitutional duties, we urge it to continue to rise above blackmail and intimidation by some self-serving political interests, and continue to give full expression to the tenets of the law, irrespective of the identity or status of the parties involved,” the party’s spokesman Felix Morka had said.

Credits: Sahara Reporters

Accusations of cronyism, nepotism in judiciary unsettle stakeholders

By Bridget Chiedu Onochie

Accusations of alleged cronyism and favouritism in the judiciary will not end until there is a collective effort to clear the Augean stable, concerned stakeholders have said.

They said that though the “very embarrassing” claims are not new, the current leadership of the judiciary are duty bound to change the narrative for the good of the legal profession and health of democracy.

It will be recalled that senior judicial officers have recently been accused of bringing in their family members and friends to serve in the bench through the “back doors.”

While there are no laws forbidding families and friends of judicial officers from aspiring to attain senior positions, most Nigerians are concerned about the recruitment process that undermines integrity, transparency, and merit.

Such a situation, they said, would jeopardise timely and quality justice delivery. Judiciary was believed to be the last hope of the common man. So, the implication of this statement hinges on the perceived impartial and uncompromising disposition of revered judicial officers.

A very senior lawyer and former President, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Dr Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), had earlier expressed doubt about the ability of the Nigerian judiciary to dispense untainted justice.

Agbakoba spoke shortly after the general elections of which most of the results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were rejected.

Although former President Muhammadu Buhari had sarcastically urged aggrieved parties to go to court, Agbakoba feared he has lost a bit of confidence in “what the courts have been doing lately.”

According to him, there was a time “you could say ‘on the facts and the law, this is the likely outcome. Today, you cannot because there have been all kinds of silly decisions.”

Professor of Law, Chidi Odinkalu, has also expressed worry on how the judiciary hierarchy smuggled families, friends and even mistresses into office as judges.

Odinkalu was not against families and mistresses of judicial officers rising up but their manner of appointment, which undermined merit and integrity.

He insisted that appointing mediocre into such a revered profession meant no good for the country. He said: “Judicial appointments have been captured. At a time where suitable candidates, irrespective of where they come from, can no longer make it to the bench, you know we are in trouble.

“Not only that, to have a successful political career, you carry judges in your back pocket. To be able to proceed with anything in the country, politicians and judges decide it. Consequently, politicians do not need the votes of the electorates,” he lamented.

Speaking on the legitimacy of retiring judicial officers bringing in families and friends as replacement, a very senior lawyer in the Faculty of Law, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Dr. Suleiman Nchi, noted that there was no law anywhere that says there won’t be such change, if they are qualified.

According to him, the constitution clearly stipulated the qualifications for becoming a lawyer, a judge and other allied appointments. “So, once you meet the constitutional requirements, legally speaking, you are qualified to be appointed a judge.

“Of course, usually, we say ‘nepotism’ but I think we should not make too much of it. If the children of judges are qualified to be judges, why not?

“I think the issue is whether there are better qualified people. If there are, and they are not considered, that is where one can complain, even though you will be complaining from the moral angle. But if they meet the minimum legal requirements and they are appointed, there is very little one can do.

“It is left to our judges to know that there is a certain level of restraint as a judicial officer and if you have to choose between your child who is not as qualified as another person, your integrity will be an issue and I think you should have the courage to be able to pick someone who is more qualified than your child,” he declared. Nchi noted that whenever such issues arise, “they will tell you that these children are qualified and they are also Nigerians.

“So, my daughter shouldn’t become a judge just because she is my daughter, if she is qualified? Why not?
“For example, Harvard University has an adage that says “everybody applying to Harvard is qualified.” This means there are other considerations aside from the minimum academic requirements and other things we don’t know about.

“So, judges may say, ‘well, everybody applying to be a judge in Nigeria knows he or she is qualified. So, our children are also qualified, and they are Nigerians. So, why should we discriminate against them? My children should not suffer because I am a judge,” he stated.

On the implications of evading screening due to relationships with senior officers, Nchi feared that getting appointed into a sensitive office without necessary qualifications would amount to incompetence.

“Incompetent people are the most susceptible to inducement and influences. They are easily corrupted; appeals are easily made to their emotional ties. That is why nepotism is regarded as highly objectionable,” he said.

An Abuja-based lawyer, Daniel Makolo, reckoned with Nchi, though warned on the dangers of nepotism in the appointment of judicial officers, which he said, was already visible in the kind of judgments being delivered.

“Some of those rich kids smuggled into the court don’t even know the law. Some of them don’t take their time to study it after passing from the Law School.

“The law is in the books, and you must discipline yourself to sit down to read, analyse it and logically conclude.

“Most of them on the bench today don’t even sit early. They will come to court by 11 a.m. without minding how long people have been waiting. By 1p.m., he is rising, leaving all the jobs on the table, while giving a new date for the next sitting. The implication is that the justice industry and justice delivery have been burdened.

“Not all the judges are guilty of that anyway. Some of them are disciplined and have that consciousness of wanting to improve but majority of them are what we call in Nigerian parlance, Aje butter, not Aje pako.

“So, it is comforting for them all the time. When they come to court, their attitude is that of the elites. Some of them could go to the extent of seeking vengeance with whoever tries to go against their empire or their various business interests,” he said.

Makolo added that judicial interpretation is subjective, an opinion of the judge and the knowledge of the law. His words: “If the character and integrity of the candidates are ignored in selection or appointment, it means that those who can deliver justice are not allowed into the system. Consequently, the judiciary is going down and they are in the pockets of big men and politicians.”

Makolo said the rot had been in the judiciary for a long time. According to him, Nigerians are only beginning to feel the pinch and as such, attention is gradually shifting to the judiciary.

He, however, frowned at the complacency of the National Judicial Council (NJC) over allegations of nepotism in the system. He recalled the issue of a Senator narrating how he used his judicial officer wife to obtain false justice at the election petition. Yet, nothing was heard of it afterwards.

“If as a lawyer I have concluded that I have lost hope in our justice system, what then will happen to the uneducated man?

“We need to sit up, if not, very soon, the judiciary will no longer be the last hope of the common man,” he warned.

This article was originally published by The Guardian on 21 November 2023

Court remands man for alleged sexual assault of 15-year-old girl

An Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court on Monday remanded a man, Opebiyi Oyebola, in a correctional centre for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl.

Justice Rahman Oshodi remanded Oyebola in Kirikiri Correctional Centre, where he was currently held and adjourned the case until Feb. 9, 2024, for trial.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the defendant pleaded not guilty to the two-count charge of sexual assault and sexual assault by penetration, after the charge was read and interpreted to him in Yoruba language.

The state counsel, Ms Bukola Okeowo, told the court that the defendant allegedly committed the offence sometime in January 2021 on Emmanuel Akanji Street, Egan in Igando, Lagos.

Okeowo submitted that the defendant sexually assaulted the 15-year-old girl by sucking her breast.

The prosecution said the offence contravened Sections 261 and 263 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015.

NAN reports that sexual assault attracts three years jail term while sexual assault by penetration is punishable with life imprisonment if convicted.

NAN

Double life imprisonment for landlord who sexually assaulted tenant’s kids

The Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos State, has sentenced a 65-year-old landlord, Igwe Ambrose, to double life imprisonment for inserting fingers into the private part of his tenant’s children, ages seven and 11.

The presiding judge, Justice Abiola Soladoye, On Monday, held that the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt the four-count charge, bordering on sexual assault by penetration and indecent treatment of a child against Ambrose.

Justice Soladoye said the defendant was a dirty old man who fingered and touched the breasts of the survivors under the pretext of helping them with their school homework.

The judge said Ambrose was identified and the evidence of the survivors exposed him as a bare-faced liar and untruthful.

Justice Soladoye said: “The children decided to open up to their mother, who then informed her husband. He thereafter confronted the defendant and the matter was reported to a police station.

“The police visited the scene and the defendant was invited to the police station where he denied the allegations against him.

“The testimonies of the prosecution witnesses (survivors) were credible, as they cannot consent to being fingered by the landlord.

“The defendant was identified as the assailant and their evidence were corroborated by their mother and the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) who visited the crime scene and a clear account of the assault and indecent treatment was confirmed.”

The judge, thereafter, convicted the defendant of the four-count charge levelled against him, contrary to Sections 135 and 261 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015.

She said: “Count one and two carry life imprisonment each; the defendant is hereby sentenced to life imprisonment on each of the count charge.

“In respect to counts three and four which carry seven years jail term, the defendant is hereby sentenced to seven years imprisonment on each of the count charge.

“His name is to be entered in the Sexual Offences Register maintained by Lagos State Government.”

The state counsel, Olufunke Adegoke, called four witnesses – two survivors, mother of the survivors, and the IPO through whom five exhibits were tendered.

The convict testified for himself.

The prosecution told the court that the landlord committed the offences between January and June 2021 at Shagari Estate in the Ipaja area of Lagos.

The Conclave

94 Federal High Court judges get new Judicial Divisions

Following the appointment of 23 new judges of the Federal High Court, Chief Judge of the Court, Hon. Justice John Tsoho has announced the transfer of 94 judges to various divisions of the Court across the country.

A release which emanated from the Chief Judge’s office on Tuesday said “the appointment of 23 new judges and other imperatives” occasioned the transfers. Meanwhile the judges are expected to resume on the 8th of January, 2024.

POSTINGS-OF-HON.-JUDGES

The last major posting of judges in the court was in 2020 when 47 justices were sent to different parts of the country.

About 130 judges are presently serving at the Federal High Court.

Abuja

  1. Hon. Justice J.T Tsoho – Chief Judge
  2. Hon. Justice G. Kolotu
  3. Hon. Justice B.F.M. Nyako
  4. Hon. Justice R.N. Ofili- Ajumogobia
  5. Hon. Justice A.R Mohammed
  6. Hon. Justice Ieekwo
  7. Hon. Justice D.U Okorowo
  8. Hon. Justice Joyce Obehi Abdulmalik
  9. Hon. Justice James Kolawale Omotosho
  10. Hon. Justice Emeka Nwite
  11. Hon. Justice Obiora Atuegwu Egwuatu
  12. Hon. Justice Mobolaji Olubukola Olajuwon
  13. Hon. Justice Nkeonye Evelyn Mана

Umuahia, Abia

  1. Hon, Justice Sunday Onu
  2. Hon. Justice Musa Κακακι

Yenagoa, Bayelsa

  1. Hon. Justice Isa Hamma Adama Dashen
  2. Hon. Justice Salim Olasupo Ibrahim

Benin, Edo

  1. Hon, Justice S. M. Shuaibu
  2. Hon, Justice Chuka Austine Obiozor

Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi

  1. Hon. Justice Emmanuel Gakko

Kaduna

  1. Hon. Justice R.Maikawa
  2. Hon. Justice Hawau Buhari

Κano

  1. Hon. Justice A.M. Liman
  2. Hon. Justice M.N. Yunusa
  3. Hon, Justice S.A. Amobeda

Lagos

  1. Hon. Justice J.T. Tsoho – Chief Judge
  1. Hon. Justice A.Ofaji
  2. Hon, Justice Alewis -Allagoa
  3. Hon, Justice C.Janeke
  4. Hon. Justice Yellim S. Bogoro
  5. Hon. Justice Daniel Emeka Osiagor
  6. Hon, Justice Akintayo Aluko
  7. Hon. Justice Peter Odo Lifu
  8. Hon. Justice Abimbola O. Awogboro
  9. Hon, Justice Dipeolu Deinde Isaac
  10. Hon. Justice Ogundare Kehinde Olayiwola
  11. Hon. Justice Ibrahim Ahmad Kala
  12. Hon. Justice Ogazi Friday Νκεμακονam

Ilorin, Kwara

  1. Hon, Justice Evelyn Nmasinulo Anyadike
  2. Hon. Justice Ariwoola Olukayode Jnr.

Akure, Ondo

  1. Hon. Justice Toyin Bolaji Adegoke.
  2. Hon, Justice Owoeye Alexander Oluseυι

Ibadan, Oyo

  1. Hon. Justice Uche N. Agomoh
  2. Hon, Justice Ekerete Udofot Akp

Instructions:

  1. All the judges affected by this posting should report at their duty stations before the date of resumption from the 2023 Christmas vacation, being the 8th day of January 2024.
  2. Judges who have been earlier serving, should recall and rigidly adhere to policies/instructions concerning the movement of property from one judicial division to another.

Nigeria and IATF 2023; A post mortem …

By Nik Ogbulie

Curtain on the Intra-African Trade Fair 2023 fell just five days ago, after an class rehearsal of the 2018 edition on the same venue in Cairo, Egypt.

What has been instructive from the gathering of about 30,000 people is not the error-free delivery of the event better know as the most important economic event in Africa, but the roles played by major countries and institutions in Africa or what they failed to do to comprehensively propagate this economic development trend through which over 120 billion dollars have been invested into various growth channels as pioneered by Afreximbank since the last six years of iatf existence.

As a matter of fact, all African countries have very strong roles to play , but much is expected from the three countries whose economies are believed to have been in control of about 60% of the GDP of the entire Africa. The countries are Nigeria, South Africa and Egypt. These countries may not command better economic growth in Africa today, but they have remained largely rich and large based on their huge outlay of natural resources, overflowing levels of skills, large population space and emerging capital flows, in and out, of these great countries.

In other words, the impact of each of these three countries must be seen as the very major catalyst for the political and economic emancipation of Africa.For a typical Nigerian journalist who is always enormoured by Nigeria’s policy on Africa, the expectation would always be seen to reflect the tendency to lead whatever is African, and make great progress with it. This is why one wants to take a retrospection of the entire event which was a package of various developments that must make a progressive Africa. This becomes important because those who designed the IATF project were so careful to capture all channels of development as events that can be captured as a network. This is why the programme captures industrialization, export/import, finance , entertainment, agriculture and other forms of economic and social development on one hand , but not completely forgetting the issues of politics.

Nigeria taunted as the biggest economy in Afrixa with the largest population of over 230 million people and a huge landmass with great spread of revenue space, could be seen as not strongly into the opportunities offered by the event. There is no doubt that the new Nigeria government has a strong support to all Afreximbank activities but its private sector participation does not really reflect the level of activities in the country and the opportunities derivable.Reflecting on the participation of Nigeria in particular one would say that there is a decline because their level of exhibition did not compare with what they displayed in 2021, both in terms of human presence and institutional effort. In the last event , the Nigerian Sme/Msme space was overwhelming.

It really gave hope that the growing level of many medium sector participation offers bright future for intra-African trade since the instruction here is trade penitration among the countries.However, the big business outfits in Nigerua were not actively represented and did not express that tendency expected from a leading economy. It becomes so sad to watch an economy believed to possess some controlling and energising position to play lower than very small economies on issues they must take control of.In Cairo, one expected to see the big players like NLNG largely seen as a liquefied gas powerhouse for African countries or a Nimasa, Nigerian Shippers Council, Nigerian Ports authority that could be discussing common developments within the sphere of Shipping and regional transportation.

In Durban few years ago,there were long exhibition stands for information technology incubation and skills development from Nigeria, some of whom told me that they have opened reasonable level of contacts during the event but that line of exhibition was not present this time around. Many other lines of exhibition from Nigeria are missing and I feel that it was because many exhibitors from Nigeria are impatient and would not always want to go through the required route for real business growth. What I feel is that the Nigerian institutions incharge of rendering trade advisory such as NEPC, Chambers of commerce, manufacturers associations do not have the capacity to encourage manufacturers on what to do.I am of the opinion that advocacy on trade development must begin to gather more momentum and must be measured with what goes into the oil and gas sector, banking and finance, IT sector and services.

The consequence of Nigeria’s poor participation is that they are gradually missing the link between trade and development which has been considered as the major denominator for industrialization.In outings such as the Afreximbank events, Nigeria must bring its huge capacity to the fore and physically express the initial fears over a probable Nigerian take-over of the AfCFTA which rules provide a platform for internal optimization of export opportunities from the million MSMEs that are being nurtured for revenue growth, using the opportunities for forex.

Being a heavy importer, it must have given this development a serious participation if reduction in dollar cost to its economy is real. This may be the reason why major Nigerian trade banks must be part of the programme if only to explain how they can apply the PAPSS payment systemto what they do with their customers.I had thought that the CANEX end of the exhibition could be a Nigeria show just like what happened in South Africa in 2021, but never to be. CANEX has been taken over by the fringe economies who want to capitalise on new opportunities. I am aware that no IATF sensitization took place in Nigeria, other than the Afreximbank Road Show which took place only few weeks to the Cairo event. There are no sustained efforts to keep Nigerians abreast of the big event to Nigerians and that’s why they are found at the embassies begging for visa of any host country up to the last days of the event.

My interviews with three prominent Nigerian participant, Ahmed Mansur of Dangote Group, Engnr Emeka Okwuosa of OilServe and Obi Ezeude of Beloxxi Industries explain why Nigerian firms must seek new opportunities with this Afreximbank window. They are of the expectation that more Nigerians will continue to participate because of the innate advantages.On a lighter note, Ghana would not have continued to take home the prize on food with their jollof rice if more Nigerians have been involved. It is believed that Nigeria lost the “Jollof rice war” due to too much pepper because only a section of the Nigeria with proficiency in pepper dishes participated.

It is no more news to say that our new government has continued to travel all over the world in search of the elusive investors while a common trade among the 54 African countries could be a very good start. As a huge country Nigeria should apply its advantage of scale and flood Africa with its products. There was no notable Nigerian government effort in Cairo. Maybe, Algiers would be a renewal of their economic policy direction.

Though fired from OpenAI in a shock move Sam Altman’s been hired by Microsoft

Microsoft snapped up Sam Altman and another architect of OpenAI for a new venture after their sudden departures shocked the artificial intelligence world, leaving the newly installed chief executive of the ChatGPT maker to paper over tensions by vowing to investigate Altman’s firing.

The developments come after a weekend of drama and speculation about how the power dynamics would shake out at OpenAI, whose chatbot kicked off the generative AI craze by producing human-like text, images, video and music.

It ended with former Twitch leader Emmett Shear taking over as OpenAI’s interim CEO and Microsoft announcing that it was hiring Altman and OpenAI co-founder and former President Greg Brockman to lead a new advanced AI research team.

Despite the rift between the key players behind ChatGPT and the company they helped build, both Shear and Microsoft boss Satya Nadella tweeted that they are committed to their partnership.

Microsoft invested billions of dollars in the startup and helped provide the computing power to run its AI systems. Now, it’s bringing two of OpenAI’s co-founders directly into the fold. Nadella wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that he was “extremely excited” to bring Altman and Brockman and looked “forward to getting to know” Shear and the rest of the management.

In reply on X, Altman said that “the mission continues.” Brockman posted: “We are going to build something new & it will be incredible.”

OpenAI said Friday that Altman was pushed out after a review found he was “not consistently candid in his communications” with the board of directors, which had lost confidence in his ability to lead the company.

In a post Monday on X, Shear said he would hire an independent investigator to look into what led up to Altman’s ouster and write a report within 30 days.

“It’s clear that the process and communications around Sam’s removal has been handled very badly, which has seriously damaged our trust,” wrote Shear, who co-founded Twitch, an Amazon-owned livestreaming service popular with video gamers.

He said he also plans in the next month to “reform the management and leadership team in light of recent departures into an effective force” and to speak with employees, investors and customers.

After that, Shear said he would “drive changes in the organization,” including “significant governance changes if necessary.” He noted that the reason behind the board removing Altman was not a “specific disagreement on safety,” a likely reference to the debates that have swirled around OpenAI’s mission to safely build AI that is “generally smarter than humans.”

OpenAI last week declined to answer questions on what Altman’s alleged lack of candor was about. Its statement said his behavior was hindering the board’s ability to exercise its responsibilities. But a key driver of Friday’s shake-up — OpenAI’s co-founder, chief scientist and board member Ilya Sutskever — posted regrets on the situation Monday on X: “I deeply regret my participation in the board’s actions. I never intended to harm OpenAI. I love everything we’ve built together and I will do everything I can to reunite the company.”

An OpenAI spokeswoman didn’t immediately reply to an email Monday seeking comment. A Microsoft representative said the company would not be commenting beyond Nadella’s statement.

After Altman was pushed out Friday, he stirred speculation that he might be coming back into the fold in a series of tweets. He posted a photo of himself with an OpenAI guest pass Sunday, saying it was the “first and last time i ever wear one of these.”

Hours earlier, he tweeted, “i love the openai team so much,” which drew heart emojis from Brockman, who quit after Altman was fired, and Mira Murati, OpenAI’s chief technology officer, who was initially named interim CEO.

It’s not clear what transpired between the announcement of Murati’s interim role Friday and Shear’s hiring, though she was among the employees on Monday who tweeted, “OpenAI is nothing without its people.” Altman replied with many with heart emojis.

One of OpenAI’s safety-focused researchers, Jan Leike, called on the OpenAI board to resign Monday, saying he had been working all weekend with the company’s leadership team “to help with this crisis.” The board consists of Sutskever, Quora boss Adam D’Angelo, tech entrepreneur Tasha McCauley and Helen Toner of the Georgetown Center for Security and Emerging Technology.

Shear said he stepped down as Twitch CEO because of the birth of his now 9-month-old son but “took this job because I believe that OpenAI is one of the most important companies currently in existence.”

Emmett Shear was the former boss of video-sharing platform Twitch

His beliefs on the future of AI came up on a podcast in June. Shear said he’s generally an optimist about technology but has serious concerns about the path of artificial intelligence toward building something “a lot smarter than us” that sets itself on a goal that endangers humans.

“If there is a world where we survive … where we build an AI that’s smarter than humans and survive it, it’s going to be because we built smaller AIs than that, and we actually had as many smart people as we can working on that and taking the problem seriously,” Shear said in June.

It’s an issue that Altman consistently faced since he helped catapult ChatGPT to global fame. In the last year, he has become Silicon Valley’s sought-after voice on the promise and potential dangers of artificial intelligence.

He went on a world tour to meet with government officials earlier this year, drawing big crowds at public events as he discussed both the risks of AI and attempts to regulate the emerging technology.

File – Sam Altman, left, appears onstage with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella at OpenAI’s first developer conference, on Nov. 6, 2023, in San Francisco. Microsoft snapped up Altman for a new venture after his sudden departure from OpenAI shocked the artificial intelligence world. (AP Photo/Barbara Ortutay, File)

Altman posted Friday on X that “i loved my time at openai” and later called what happened a “weird experience.”

“If Microsoft lost Altman he could have gone to Amazon, Google, Apple, or a host of other tech companies craving to get the face of AI globally in their doors,” Daniel Ives, an analyst with Wedbush Securities, said in a research note.

Microsoft is now in an even stronger position on AI, Ives said.

The Associated Press and OpenAI have a licensing and technology agreement allowing OpenAI access to part of the AP’s text archives.

Report by Associated Press/LA Times

NITDA bridges gender divide, commences training for female business founders on digital/ICT skills

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) on Monday commenced training for Women Entrepreneurs also known as Female Founders of businesses in ICT and digital skills geared towards empowerment and closing the digital gap that exist between them and their male counterparts.

NCC Ad

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Female Founders Training (FFT) organized by the agency, at the office of the National Artificial Intelligence and Robotic Centre in Wuye, Abuja, NITDA’s Director General, Mallam Kashifu Inuwa, underscored that the overarching aim of the programme is to help the women entrepreneurs upscale their businesses, foster partnership and to close the digital divide that exist between both genders within the digital ecosystem.

Represented bythe Director, National Digital Literacy Framework (NDLF), Dr. Amina Sambo, the DG urged the twelve participants who were rigorously selected from the over 7,051 applicants from the 6 geopolitical zones to take the training seriously.

The DG, said: “It’s not easy to even identify opportunities, apply for the opportunities and get selected for the opportunities and present yourself here to be part of it. I hope that you will take every single knowledge and information gained, align it, internalize it and actualize it because women are living entrepreneurs as our kids, husbands and families are our products and so women are born innovators.”

This programme, the DG stressed presents a fantastic opportunity for women in Nigeria even as he tasked them on commitment, adding…It is a really about the commitment and how well you understand the opportunities that you have, meaning that you don’t have limitation as technology will give you everything that you need to succeed from wherever background that you are coming from.

According to him, all that the participants need is activations of their brains to be able to learn new things that is required to connect them to the global space.

Inuwa, said: “From today, we have embarked on a transformative journey. In just 2 weeks our call for applications for the Female Founders Traning (FFT) resonated across the nation yielding an extraordinary response with a staggering response of 7,051 applicants pouring in from all the 36 states and FCT.

“This overwheliming interest underscores the untapped potentials and enthusiasm that exist among our women in the field of technology.

“The Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI) operating as a Special Pupose Vehcle (SPV) under the umbrella of NITDA was strategically created to foster the development of indigenous content within the Nigeria digital sector.”

He said the ttraining programme aligned with the 8 pillars of the National Digital Economy and Strategy and Digital Innovation and Indigenous Content Development and Adoption as well as digital innovation and entrepreneurship.

“Today, we launch a project that stands as a testament of our commitment to advancing women in technology. The response to our call was remarkable and the participants underwent a meticulous strict selection procedure to ensure the best for the programme.

“At the end of this end rigorous process, we are proud to announce that 12 successful candidates emerged strategically chosen to represent each of the 6 geopolitical zones.

“Over the next 2 weeks our mission encompasses and showcasing innovative tech based ideas and solutions developed by Nigerian females.

“The aim to promote and support these tech based ventures founded by women and therefore contributing to the closing of gender gap within the tech ecosystem.Further our commitment extend to promoting and supporting digital job creation for female a critical step towards fostering inclusivity and equity.

“This programmes align with President Bola Tinubu Renewed Hope Agenda, firstly the investment in the digital economy to empower Nigerians with new skills and sustained jobs and secondly the drive for women empowerment to champion equity and parity across every facet of our lives.

“This initiative is not just the project it is a call to action. For every woman utilizing technology to distrupt innovation, let us come together to create a global movement that promotes exciting premier opportunities for women in the tech sector, the DG, said.

In a remark, the acting National Coordinator of the Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI), Mr. Yakubu Musa, said the programme is being hosted to provide support for female founders in tech businesses,

He said before now there that notion that the tech space is dominated by the male, although that is true to a certain extent explaining that he strongly believe that the females are changing the narratives especially with past programmes organized by NITDA.

Musa, said: “I want encourage those that scaled through the rigorous process of selection and made it here today and urge them to leverage on that knowledge to widen their horizon and broaden their business scope to build successful businesses and this is also an opportunity to network, partner and collaborate.”

Extraordinairepeople

Nigeria’s telecos groan over 52 taxes, USSD debt

Telecom companies in Nigeria have condemned the N200 billion debt owed by the banks for the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) provided by telecom operators.

According to them, the debt, coupled with the 52 taxes, could cripple their operation in the country if the federal government does not intervene.

The companies under the aegis of the Association of Licenced Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) disclosed that the ICT sector was not immune to harsh operating environment, yet, they pay more taxes than any sector of the Nigerian economy.

ALTON chairman, Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, said telecom operators are facing threats to investment, sustainability, and industry expansion due to the fact that sub-nationals are forcing them to comply with tax and levy requests that lack legal foundation, and they have been subjected to repeated taxation.

Adebayo enumerated a number of the levies and taxes, including the ecology tax for gaseous emissions, the sewage, sanitation, and public convenience levies for base stations, the fumigation levies—which are levied annually on rights of way (RoW) renewals and the fire service levy—as well as the fumigation charges that states require base stations to pay.

Adebayo, however, argued that in order to address the ongoing problem of multiple taxation in the Nigerian telecommunications sector, the industry must work with the presidential committee on fiscal policy and tax reforms.

On the N200 billion debt, ALTON chairman. at a stakeholders’ forum in Lagos, averred that though the regulator is intervening, but it is at a slow pace, as the banks are yet to pay the USSD debt owed to telecom operators, which has now risen to N200 billion from N120 billion in June.

“Telecom operators have not been able to get commercial banks to agree they will pay the accumulated debt from USSD charges they were yet to remit. In September, Umar Garba Danbatta, former executive vice chairman of NCC, had said the deposit money banks agreed to pay the debt. He didn’t, however, say when it will be paid,” he recalled.

He explained that the banks did not pledge to pay or when they planned to pay; they only acknowledged the existence of a debt, adding that, “The debt had grown to N200 billion while they were waiting to make their payment.”

Recall that operators threatened to disconnect the USSD service of banks in June, 2023, a development that would disrupt transactions activities across the financial system and impact millions of users.

In his response, the executive vice chairman, NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, promised to create a more conducive environment for investment in the sector, even as he promised to inject new thinking into how the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) would be leveraged to bridge the digital divide in the country.

He assured operators of the federal government’s support.

“The federal government of Nigeria sees the ICT sector as a critical sector of the economy and I have the assurance from the government that we will get all the support. However, we have to pay back by ensuring that the economy grows,” he added.

Nigerian Sketch

How Sanwo-Olu approved N73.1m for Tinubu’s portrait, N44m for vegetables, millions for renovation of Lagos CP’s residence days to election

The Lagos State Government under the leadership of Babajide Sanwo-Olu approved N24.5m for the renovation of the official residence of the Commissioner of Police in the state.

The approval for the project executed by Omay Engineering Services Ltd was dated February 6, which was a few days before the February 25 general election.

The main opposition parties in the state accused security agencies of colluding with non-state actors to intimidate their supporters and suppress votes in some areas of the state.

This was seen in the Public Procurement awards carried by the state government in 2nd and 3rd quarters of 2023.

Aside the money spent on renovation, the state Ministry of Justice paid N200m to four Senior lawyers to represent Sanwo-Olu and Hamzat in pre-election matters.

The state also released N20.8m for the decoration of the venue for political delegates’ congress.

However, the money was approved on June 26, more than three months after the 2023 general elections.

The sum of N6.1m was approved in July for the provision of furniture items at the Campaign office, GRA, Ikeja. Political commentators said it is wrong for taxpayers’ money to be used to fund political activities.

The government also approved N152 million for the restoration of water supply at Iduganran palace, the official residence of the Oba of Lagos.

These revelations come at a time when Nigerians are struggling to cope with economic realities.

Meanwhile, the deputy governor has reacted to the controversy, saying he got N2 million for rechargeable fans, not N2 billion.

In a memo addressed to the Director General of the procurement agency, Hamzat also claimed that his wife got N2.5m each for her monthly outreach to indigents and empowerment programme as against the N30m captured by the agency.

Hamzat, in the memo signed by Director, Finance and Account, Tola Ekemode, on behalf the Permanent Secretary in the office of the deputy governor, said the report by the agency was untrue, mischievous, fake and unfounded.

“It is important to state that truly, the office did get approval and awarded the provision of supply items (rechargeable fans, rechargeable lights and fridges) for the sum of =N=2,017,840 (Two Million, Seventeen Thousand, Eight Hundred and Forty Naira) as against the =N=2,017,840,000 (Two Billion, Seventeen Million, Eight Hundred and Forty Thousand Naira as reported by Doherty in his purported letter.”

“In addition, the report that the office through the Wife of the Deputy Governor spent =N=30,000,000 monthly for outreach to indigents is inaccurate as the amount stated covered the whole year. It is =N=2,500,000 per month. Same for the Empowerment programme by the Wife of the Deputy Governor which also =N=2,500,000 per month as against =N=30,000,000 monthly reported,” read the memo.

Daily Trust reports that Sanwo-Olu, and Hamzat, have come under criticism over the controversial approval amid the nationwide hardship.

Lagos state government approved the sum of N44.8m for the clearing of vegetables within the Epe Mixed Development Scheme.

According to records from the state’s Public Procurement Agency (PPA), the project was awarded in May to M/S Obak Nigeria Enterprises by the Lagos State New Towns Development Authority.

According to a report by Daily Trust, the Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has been criticised over the approval of N7.5 million to replace liquid fragrance in his office and N3 billion to purchase rechargeable fans for the office of his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat.

Public affairs analysts, according to the report, had described the actions as insensitive to the plight of the people, especially coming at a time the government was encouraging the citizens to endure the economic hardship in the land.

However, further checks showed that some questionable spending was approved by the state government.

According to the document, N73.1m was approved for the production of the official portraits of President Bola Tinubu and the state governor, Sanwo-Olu.

The project, which was executed by the office of the Chief of Staff, was awarded to Flolizvi Connect.

Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos state, was sworn-in as President on May 29 after defeating his main rivals- Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, Peter Obi of the Labour Party and Alhaji Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP.

Sanwo-Olu also started his second term tenure on the same date.

According to available information on the website of the Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget, there are less than 150 MDAs in Lagos.

  • N80.8m Tokunbo vehicles; 400m on Charter plane

The office of the Chief of Staff also got approval of N80.8m on June 19 for the procurement of ten units of foreign used vehicles.

Daily Trust had earlier reported that the same office got approval of N440.75m for the purchase of a brand new Lexus LX 600 Bulletproof Sport Utility Vehicle.

The office also got N18.5 million for the supply and distribution of 2,000 Noiler chicken across the local government areas and wards in the state.

400m was approved for flying hour expenses on an ad-hoc charter plane.

N152 for Akiolu’s water, N581m for church renovation

The government also approved N152m for the restoration of water supply at Iduganran palace, the official residence of the Oba of Lagos.

Records also showed that the state approved N581m to renovate Saint Andrews Anglican Church in Oke-Popo area of the state.

Credits: Daily Trust

1...692693694...1,468Page 693 of 1,468

TIPS

Load more