NEWS
LG Autonomy: Lawmaker Exonerates FG from Slow Implementation of Supreme Court Judgement
From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja
Senator representing Kogi West Senatorial District, Sunday Karimi has declared that the federal government should not be held responsible for the slow or near-non Implementation of the Supreme Court judgement granting local government financial autonomy, barely a year ago.
Karimi said that President Tinubu’s vision leading to the favourable judgement of the Supreme Court is aimed at freeing the people from slavery and underdevelopment, which starts with financial autonomy for the third tier of government. Karimi made the clarification while giving an account of his stewardship in the last two years in the 10th Senate during a media parley at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre, LokojaHe urged Nigerians to continue to support the President in his effort to bring good governance close to the people at the grassroots.His words, “The provisions of Section 235 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, (As Amended) within Chapter 7, Part 1, deals with the finality of determinations by the Supreme Court. It states that no appeal can be made to any other body or person from a decision of the Supreme Court, except for the powers of the President or a state Governor regarding the prerogative of mercy. In essence, this section establishes the Supreme Court as the final arbiter of legal disputes within the country, with its decisions being binding and unappealable.“Without prejudice to the powers of the President or of the Governor of a state with respect to the prerogative of mercy, no appeal shall lie with any other body or person(s) to revalidate the already determined matter or dispute by the Supreme Court.In view of the provisions of the above section of the Constitution, Senator Karimi was asked during the interactive session to explain why the Senate has not deemed it fit to give any legislative backing to the Supreme Court judgement of the 11th July, 2024 on local government autonomy.Responding, the lawmaker described the Supreme Court judgement granting full LG autonomy to the Councils as the President’s trump card to legally and holistically address the local government challenges once and for all.“That was why the Attorney General and Minister of Justice of the Federation went to the Supreme Court to institute that case”, he said.He emphasized the importance of local government autonomy, stating that the case instituted by the Attorney General at the Supreme Court, and midwived by President Bola Tinubu, demonstrates the Federal Government’s commitment and support for a functional local government system in the country.He further stressed that “As a means of solving local government problems, the president wants autonomy for local government. If the Federal Government of Nigeria doesn’t want local government autonomy, it wouldn’t have instituted the case in the first place. And for us in the National Assembly, we are fully in support of local government autonomy and the steps so far taken to restore proper governance at the local level in Nigeria.Karimi noted that the leadership of the National Assembly, including the Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker, House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, were in full support of the Local Government Autonomy.NEWS
Paul Enenche, Wife Train, Empower 100 People in Mechanized Agribusiness
By David Torough, Abuja
The founders and Senior Pastors of Dunamis International Gospel Centre (DIGC), Dr. Paul and Dr. (Mrs.) Becky Enenche, have successfully trained and empowered 100 individuals in agribusiness as part of their commitment to youth empowerment, entrepreneurship, and economic development.
Dr.
Paul Enenche made the announcement during the church’s Thanksgiving and Testimony Service on Sunday, highlighting the initiative as a strategic effort to promote self-reliance and agricultural productivity.According to the cleric, each beneficiary will be allocated at least one hectare of farmland to commence farming activities upon completion of the training programme.
He further disclosed that the beneficiaries will receive monthly stipends to support them until their agricultural produce is ready for harvest.Dr. Enenche noted that the training and empowerment programme represents a significant investment, with each participant’s training costing approximately ₦500,000.
The beneficiaries, who constitute Batch A of the Entrepreneurship Agribusiness Training Programme, graduated from the C.S.S. Farm and Skills Acquisition Centre located along the Keffi–Abuja Road. The entire programme was fully sponsored by Dr Paul,Dr (Mrs.) Becky Enenche and the church as part of their ongoing efforts to empower individuals with practical skills and sustainable means of livelihood.
The initiative reflects the church’s commitment to transforming lives through both spiritual and socio-economic empowerment.
NEWS
INEC Has No Candidates, Party – Amupitan
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, has reaffirmed the commission’s neutrality ahead of the 2027 general election, saying INEC has no candidate or political party to favour.
In a post obtained from INEC’s X handle on Sunday, Amupitan stated this during a visit to the Emir of Zazzau, Amb.
Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli, as part of the commission’s stakeholder engagement and preparations for the 2027 elections.The visit formed part of activities surrounding INEC’s planned interactive meeting with staff and readiness assessment at the zonal level.
The INEC chairman was accompanied by National Commissioners, the Acting Director-General of the Electoral Institute, his Chief Press Secretary, Chief Technical Assistant, Chief of Staff, Special Aides and other senior officials of the commission.
Amupitan described traditional institutions as important stakeholders in the electoral process because of their influence and reach within communities.
He said elections were fundamentally about the social contract between citizens and those entrusted with public office, stressing that public trust was essential to the success of democracy.
According to him, INEC has commenced preparations early because of the size and complexity of conducting elections across Nigeria.
He said the commission had moved away from last-minute preparations and was testing, auditing and strengthening its operational systems well ahead of the 2027 polls.
Amupitan assured the Emir that INEC remained committed to neutrality, fairness and transparency in the conduct of elections.
“We have no candidates, we have no political party, we have no interest other than the sovereign will of the people of Nigeria,” the INEC chairman said.
He added that the commission would continue engaging traditional institutions and other stakeholders as it intensifies preparations for the 2027 General Election.
NEWS
Rabies Scare: Suspected Infected Dog Bites 18 in Kano
The Nigerian Forest Security Service (NFSS), Kano State Command, has deployed personnel to Garko Local Government Area to track and contain dogs suspected to be infected with rabies.
The service said the suspected rabid dog had bitten 18 people in Garko and its environs.
The NFSS State Commander, Abdullahi Al’ameen, disclosed this in a statement signed by the Public Relations Officer of the service, Usman Abdullahi-Umar, on Sunday in Kano.
Al’ameen said: “The command received a distress report at about 2 p.m. that a dog suspected to be rabid has attacked residents in Garko town.
“The dog has so far bitten 11 persons in Garko town before moving to neighbouring communities, including Raba, Kadage, Gurjiya and Dausai.
“It has also attacked and bitten seven additional persons in the affected communities.”
The commander further explained that they had received another report that two more dogs had been infected with rabies in the area.
Al’ameen said personnel of NFSS Garko Division, under the leadership of the Divisional Forest Officer, Auwalu Muhammad, had been deployed to the affected areas to track and contain the infected dogs.
He urged residents of Garko and neighbouring communities to remain vigilant and report sightings of stray or suspected rabid dogs to the nearest NFSS office or other security agencies.
The commander also advised residents who might have been bitten by suspected rabid dogs to seek immediate medical attention.
Al’ameen assured residents that the NFSS would continue to monitor the situation and take necessary measures to prevent further attacks.(NAN)


