From Sylvia Udegbunam Enugu

The Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy (ACPM) in Enugu State said it was considering applications for clemency for convicted and prison inmates in the state.

The ACPM said that it would examine the applications and make recommendations to Governor Peter Mbah, adding that recommendations may either be for or against the exercise of the power of prerogative of mercy.

The Commissioner for Justice, Dr.

Kingsley Tochi Udeh in his speech noted that the Council is empowered by the extant laws of Enugu State and the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

According to Udeh, who doubles as the ACPM Chairman emphasized that the council would be guided by working guidelines and international standards towards ensuring transparency, credibility and fairness in the treatment of applications for clemency,  in line with governance philosophy of Governor Peter Mbah.

The guidelines and standards would assist the Council in determining whether to recommend to the Governor to grant clemency in the exercise of his constitutional powers of prerogative of mercy. Pursuant to Section 212 (1) of the Constitution of Nigeria, the Governor, in exercising this power, may grant any person concerned with or convicted of any offence created by any law of a state a pardon, either free or subject to conditions.

“Grant to any person a respite of the execution of any punishment imposed on that person for an offence, substitute a lesser severe form of punishment for any person for such an offence.

Remit the whole or any part of punishment for any punishment imposed on that person for such an offence or of any penalty forfeiture otherwise due to the state on account of such an offence.

He pointed out that the Governor of Enugu State, in exercising his powers of Prerogative of Mercy, follows general principles that ensure fairness and equity, while taking cognizance that it is granted only in exceptional and truly deserving cases”.

The Attorney-General maintained that each application will be examined on its own merit, taking into consideration the circumstances of the individual applicants and their show of character reformation or good conduct in the course of serving their court sentence.

He however stressed that consideration may not be given to the hardship of anyone who may be affected by the applicant’s serving of court sentence, and the application may not be considered posthumously.

It will be recalled that Governor Peter Mbah recently inaugurated the Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy in the pursuit of his vision for transformative criminal justice administration, prison reform and decongestion, and societal rebuilding.

From Ene Asuquo, Calabar

The Cross River State Governor, Senator Bassey Otu has assured resident business leaders of his administration’s dedication to resetting the state’s development agenda to restore and establish the state as a prosperous sub-national entity.

Otu gave the assurance during an interactive session yesterday in Calabar with selected resident business leaders and influential figures.

The Governor directed members of his economic planning team to deliver presentations on his administration’s accomplishments, potential, and investment prospects.

He stressed the importance of active involvement by business leaders in the state in the government’s programs and visions to bolster the local economy.

Otu stated that effective and strategic planning has been reinstated within the state government, with the groundwork for economic advancement meticulously laid out through establishing various clusters.

In his presentation, the Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the State Planning Commission, Dr. Bong Duke, identified the state development priorities to include making agriculture productive and profitable, growing tourism services, developing a solid private sector-driven economy, expanding access to affordable and qualitative education and social services, building, upgrading, and maintaining infrastructure services, institutionalizing essential health care services, and providing sustainable environmental services.

Duke also revealed that the current administration has developed the “Local Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (LEEDS)” for local government administration. The state government expects the soon-to-be-elected local government council officers to follow the LEEDS agenda.

In his presentation, the Commissioner for Finance, Michael Odere, disclosed that the state government follows international accounting standards and has restored trust. He revealed that so far, the administration of Governor Otu has been able to pay off about N70bn of its inherited debt without borrowing.

Other members of the state economic team who spoke at the meeting included the State Attorney General, Ededem Ani, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Johnson Ebokpo; Dr. Francis Ntamu, the Director-General of the Bureau of Public-Private Partnership; and the convener of the interactive session, High Chief Higgins Peters.

They all emphasised the need for substantial infrastructure development in Cross River, focusing on roads, bridges, and other essential facilities to support economic growth. They also outlined plans to attract private sector infrastructure investment to boost the state’s overall development.

By Tony Obiechina, Abuja

The Federal Government of Nigeria has called on the United Nations system especially the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to provide long term solutions to fundamental challenges being faced in the country.

The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning Sen.

Abubakar Atiku Bagudu made this known during a courtesy visit on him by the Deputy Executive Director Partnership of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Kitty Van Der Heijden in Abuja.

Bagudu said the UN system was not doing enough as its social development assistance efforts in the country were the smallest in the world. 

According to him, “You should be the beacon of light, because you deal with a special group of people being children”

 Sen.

Bagudu noted that despite improved budgetary allocations of government to tackle challenges such as insurgency, education and infrastructure deficit, he lamented that it is still not enough as the insurgency crisis has destroyed any gains the federal government might have made.

The Minister appreciated the partnership with UNICEF over the years, especially with the establishment of eight UNICEF offices in Nigeria but however challenged UNICEF to adopt technology to provide appropriate content to aid children’s learning.

Earlier, the Deputy Executive Director Partnership of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Kitty Van Der Heijden appreciated the warm relationship between Nigeria and UNICEF while commending the Nigerian budget that gave priority to Children in the 2024 budget.

She noted that UNICEF had increased allocation for social protection by 2% in its 2025 budget.

She promised that UNICEF was willing to provide technical assistance in the areas of health education, social and child protection.

A statement by Osagie Jacobs, Director Information & PR in the ministry, said “Over the years, UNICEF has provided intervention in the areas of; improved access to safe water, screening and treating children for severe acute malnutrition and strengthening delivery of primary health care services, including vaccinations for children”.