JUDICIARY
Center Harps on CSOs’ Participation in Legislative Processes
By Gom Mirian, Abuja
The African Centre for Leadership, Strategic and Development (Centre LSD), yesterday harped on the need for civil society organizations to be actively involved in all the legislative processes to ensure radical reforms especially as the country walk toward the 2023 generation elections.
The Chief of staff to the Deputy speaker and founding Executive Director Center LSD, Dr.
Otive Igbuzor said this at a one-day reflection meeting on the National Assembly (NASS) reformers project with other civil society organizations in Abuja.Dr. Igbuzor noted that the need for civil society engagement in the Legislative processes has become imperative as there is urgent need to scale up in the 10th national assembly to address some nomacratic issues prevalent in the country.
According to him, there is a serious gap in civil society work in the national assembly, added that there are many bills that CSOs do not engaged in them at all.
Igbuzor, who lamented lack of monitoring of legislators and production of scorecard annually, stressed that more CSOs need to work with NASS in different sectors.
“This project had thought us that we need to scale up in the 10th national assembly to ensure that there is more engagement of civil society organizations with the Legislative process because we discovered that there are some nomacrtic issues in the society that does not interest government and does not interest private sector such as ethics and moralities, things about climate change, gender equality and women empowerment.
“Others are free/fair and credible elections, things about independence of institutions and so the reason is to peer the civil society in terms of capacity building, in terms of donor’s funding and support, and in terms of engagement with the CSOs so that what is done in the other claim such as scorecard of the legislators such as their performance and identifying legislators that are pushing for progressive laws as well as anti-people’s laws so that people can be educated to send progressive people to the national assembly,” he said.
The Deputy Executive Director, PLAC, Mrs. Omolara Akinyeye in her presentation titled “the 10th national assembly: sustaining the gains of the NASS reformers project and opportunities for continuous engagements”, identified one of the greatest challenge of working with the legislature as an external partner to be the issue of timing and the fluidity of the National assembly.
She added that political interests and wrangling also hampers implementation of projects which are usually time bound.
Justice Maryann Anenih o a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) high court on Tuesday struck out the bail application filed by former governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi.Anenih struck out the application on the grounds that it was filed when the former governor was yet to be taken into custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The application was filed on Nov. 22, while the former governor was taken into custody of the anti-graft agency on Nov. 26 and arraigned on Nov. 27.(NAN)Details later….
Five men, on Monday appeared before an Ota Magistrates’ Court in Ogun, for allegedly stealing a truck load of Milo products worth N25 million.The defendants, Temidire Ramon, 35, Aminu Yusuf, 26; Olusola Opadare, 35; Oludayo Adeleye, 38, and Amodu Jimoh, 51, are standing tial on a two-count charge of stealing and conspiracy.
The prosecutor, Insp E. O.Adaraloye, told the court that the defendants committed the offences on Oct. 13, 2020, at Agbara in Ogun.Adaraloye, said that the defendants conspired and stole a truck load of Milo products valued at N25 million, belonging to Nestle Company.He said that the offences contravened Sections 390(9) and 516 of the Criminal Code Laws of Ogun, 2006.They, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.The Magistrate, Mr O.A Onagoruwa, granted the defendants bail in the sum of N500,000 each with two sureties each in like sum.He ordered that the sureties must be gainfully employed and must reside within the court’s jurisdiction.Onagoruwa also ordered that the sureties must show evidence of tax payment to Ogun State Government.He adjourned the case until Dec.12 for hearing. (NAN)
A Grade 1 Area Court, Kubwa has granted Maryam Muhammad custody of two children from her former husband, Bashir.
The judge, Musa Sabo ordered Bashir to pay Muhammad N175,000 for a self contained apartment in arrears following the plaintiff’s claim of already paid rent.
Sabo added that Bashir should secure a self contained apartment or pay the plaintiff N250, 000 annually for accommodation.
He said that the children would spend first and third term holidays with their father and second term holidays with their mother.
The judge said the father could pick his children up every weekend for outings within 10a.m to 6.pm from the mother and notify her before hand.
He also ordered him to pay outstanding school fees if any and pay the plaintiff arrears for the fees she claimed to pay after verifying same as she failed to prove it.
Sabo ordered Bashir to pay N40,000 from October 2023 To February 2024 and subsequently pay N45,000 monthly for the children’s upkeep..
Regarding the children’s medication, he ordered Bashir to make an arrangement based on his financial capability.
Earlier, the plaintiff approached the court for custody of her children, maintenance, Islamiyya school fees, enrollment of one of the children in a special needs school and transportation.
She also sought for Bashir to refund N770, 000 which she paid for her house rent with the children and pay for the medicals of the children.
Bashir however said his ex-wife paid the rent without his consent adding that he is a civil servant and not financially capable.
“I do not earn up to N2 million annually and I am currently paying N600,000 rent annually. My children are already under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS),” he said.(NAN)
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