I have chosen to write this letter to Your Excellency for the enviable role that your country plays as champion of Democracy and the Rule of Law. I am also writing you as Nigeria’s international development partner working together to deepen and strengthen our democracy as well as to help in the transformation of our economies and societies for the [...]
Tag "Constitution"
ON THE GO
Femi Falana, human rights lawyer, says President Muhammadu Buhari is hiding under the cloak of national interest to justify his disobedience of court orders.While speaking at the annual conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA in Abuja, Buhari had said the rule of law is subject to national interest.The president had said: “Rule of Law must be subject to the supremacy of [...]
The presidency says President Muhammadu Buhari is not involved in the Nigerian Press Council Amendment Bill 2018 that has received backlash from media stakeholder across the country.The bill, which was recently passed for second reading at the senate, seeks to empower the Nigerian Press Council on decisions relating to training institutions and professional qualifications that would be acceptable for journalism practice [...]
Femi Falana, human rights lawyer, says the senate "did not get it right" by tagging Ibrahim Idris, inspector-general of police (IGP), "an enemy of democracy".Following Idris’ failure to appear before the senate on three different occasions, the upper legislative chamber said he is unfit to hold any public office.The IGP had been summoned over the growing insecurity in the country and [...]
Femi Falana, human rights lawyer, say constituents can challenge the suspension of their lawmaker either in the national assembly or in any of the state house of assembly.In a statement on Monday, the senior advocate of Nigeria also reiterated his earlier stance that neither of the two chambers have the right to suspend a lawmaker.Three lawmakers have been suspended from the [...]
On Monday, President Muhammadu Buhari travelled to the UK on an official visit.While in the UK, he is due to hold discussions on Nigeria-British relations with Prime Minister Theresa May before the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings (CHOGM) scheduled for April 16 to April 20.According to his media team, the president is also billed to meet with other prominent figures, [...]
Governors of the six states in the south-west geopolitical zone on Wednesday met in Ibadan, Oyo state, to discuss moves to amend the 1999 constitution in the common interest of the Yoruba nation.The governors present in the meeting were Akinwunmi Ambode (Lagos), Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo), Rauf Aregbesola (Osun), Ayodele Fayose (Ekiti), Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo), while Ibikunle Amosun, Ogun state governor, [...]
Nuradeen Sagir, acting chief judge of Kano state, has ruled in favour of a minor over the violation of her fundamental human right.The minor was allegedly sexually abused by a close confidant of her family around May 2016, when she was only six months old.Muttaka Muhammad, the accused, was reported to the Kano state public defender’s office (PDO) in June [...]
The Christian Lawyers Fellowship of Nigeria (CLASFON) says Nigeria's membership of the Organisation of Islamic Countries and other religious organisations is a violation of the constitution.In a statement issued in Kaduna on Tuesday, the group said it's in accord with Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) who recently called for Nigeria’s withdrawal of its membership of all international religious bodies."We therefore [...]
Sebastine Hon, constitutional lawyer, is insisting that it is unconstitutional for chief judges to pardon prison inmates.He said the position of Femi Falana, human rights lawyer, that chief judges and the chief justice of Nigeria are constitutionally empowered to release prisoners is “completely wrong”.Falana made the statement while reacting to Hon’s claims that chief judges do not have the constitutional backing [...]
BY BAMIKOLE OMISHORENigeria became an internationally recognised independent nation in 1960 and has since then had series of constitutions in the past which include the colonial era constitutions (1914-1960), Independence Constitution (1960), Republican Constitution (1963), Second Republic constitution Constitution (1979- 1983), aborted Third Republic Constitution (1992-1993) and the Fourth Republic Constitution (1999 to date).The current constitution was enacted on [...]
Ike Ekweremadu, deputy senate president, says the bill seeking to provide for devolution of power in the 1999 constitution was rejected because it was misunderstood.In simple terms, devolution of power means state governments will have more power to manage their affairs.Last Wednesday, the senate voted against the bill while considering proposed amendments to the constitution.In a statement issued by Uche [...]
Tam David-West, former minister of petroleum resources, says the ongoing changes to the 1999 constitution by the national assembly are mere proposals and not amendments.David-West, who said this in an interview with The Sun, noted that the constitutional amendment cannot be successfully executed without the input of the state houses of assembly.The elder statesman said the efforts of the lawmakers would [...]
Female lawmakers in the house of representatives have disrupted voting on amendments to the 1999 constitution.The lawmakers protested against the outcome of voting on "citizenship and indigeneship" for women.The provision seeks to alter section 25 of the constitution to give married women right to choose indigeneship either by birth or by marriage for the purpose of appointment or election.When the question [...]
BY FRANCIS OBORJI “Watchman, what of the Night” (Isaiah 21:11): “Nobody pays attention to what we say. No one listens to us. We are there to wait at their door. Those who have papers pass in front… taken care of … for us nothing.” (Jean Marc Ela in the epigraph in his book, “L’Afrique des Villages” (1982).The above citation from “ L’Afrique des Villages”, the immortal work of Jean-Marc Ela, a Catholic Priest and African theologian from Cameroun, is a fitting introduction to the theme of this article. It is a bird’s eye view of the lamentations of African masses against their so-called political leaders and [...]
The senate has approved a provision in the constitution alteration bill which gives room for candidates to participate in elections without being members of political parties.Eighty-two senators voted in favour of this, while five rejected it.The upper legislative chamber also restricted someone who has been sworn in as president or governor to complete the term of the elected president or [...]
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