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Edo Assembly Crisis Goes Spiritual As Traditional Worshippers Release Curses
Published
4 years agoon
By
EditorThe crisis rocking the Edo State House of Assembly took a spiritual dimension Friday morning, as priestesses of Edo extraction laid curses at the Assembly gate.
They comprised of priestesses of traditional worship centres across Benin kingdom.
Speaking on behalf of them, the priestess of Ekutetebite Negwogho group, Princess lnibokun lmasemwenbor, said she inherited her symbol of authority as juju priestess from her grandfather and whatever she pronounced on anyone will be so.
“I was at home when I saw on television the crisis at the Edo Assembly. I heard some of the things said that some people from other ethnic groups are trying to turn Benin upside down. We Benin people don’t like what they are doing.
READ ALSO: Edo Assembly Crisis: Group Condemns Failed Attempt To Take Over House
“APC is oppressing Obaseki, that is mere oppression, they want to oppress our Obaseki.
” Why I am interested in the matter is that we did not have access road to my community before Obaseki became governor. We used to spend so much to come to Benin. But now, we can travel in and out of our community with ease, no more erosion.
” For that reason, I must support Obaseki for a second term. Whoever says he will turn the state upside down to rig the election, let the heads of our ancestors torment them.
READ ALSO: Tension In Benin As Men Of Special Anti-Robbery Squad Takeover Assembly
” Obaseki is a peace maker, he gave us amenities of life and for that reason, I have to back him up with my strength.”
Princess lmasemwenbor assured that Obaseki will be re-elected as governor again for another four years.
“Nobody will grab it from him and whoever says he will turn the state upside down to subvert the wishes of the people, help us tell such people that the head of our ancestors will torment them, all the deities of Benin kingdom should torment them,” she warned.
READ ALSO: Imo Gov, APC Stakeholders Plotting To Take Over Edo Assembly, Speaker Raises Alarm
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Customer Drags NERC, AGF To Court Over Electricity Tariff Hike, Classification
Published
1 hour agoon
April 17, 2024By
EditorA customer of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, Festus Onifade, has urged a Federal High Court in Abuja to stop the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission from continuing with the implementation of multi-year tariff order 2024 which classified electricity consumers into Band A to E.
On April 3, the NERC increased the electricity tariff for customers receiving 20 hours of power daily.
The electricity tariff for Band A customers was increased from N68 per kilowatt-hour to N255/KWh.
The NERC afterwards instructed the 11 Distribution Companies to disclose their lists of Band A customers, who are entitled to receive a minimum of 20 hours of daily power supply.
READ ALSO: New Electricity Tariff: Full List Of Ibadan Electricity ‘Band A’ Areas
Onifade, a lawyer in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/492/2024, urged the court to halt the classification and the tariff hike.
He specifically said the classification was a breach of his fundamental rights and those of other customers, urging the court to declare it unconstitutional.
His reliefs partly read, “A declaration that the Policy of classification of the Claimant and other Consumers by the 1st Defendant into band A, B, C, D and E is a breach of the Claimant’s and other Consumers fundamental Right to freedom from discrimination as enshrined in the African and Human and People Right’s and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (As Amended) and therefore unconstitutional, unlawful, illegal, null and void.
READ ALSO: DisCos Formally Issue Notice Of Electricity Tariff Hike
“An order restraining NERC, AEDC and the Attorney-General of the Federation from continuing with the policy of classification of Nigerian customers to Band A, B, C, D and E by their location and increasing their tariffs pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.”
“An order of this Honourable Court perpetually restraining the Defendants, their privies, agents and other people from giving effect and continuing with the implementation of Multi-Year Tariff Order 2024 and increase in the of prices of Electricity and downgrading of the Claimant and other Customers by classification into Bands A, B, C, D, E forthwith,” he added.
In an affidavit he deposed to, Onifade stated that the classification amounted to discrimination against himself and other customers not residing in highbrow areas.
READ ALSO: Electricity Tariff Hike: NLC, TUC, CSOs Blow Hot
He contended with the classification that customers residing in less privileged areas, including himself, would have a lower power supply.
Onifade said, “By virtue of this classification, the first Defendant classified the second Defendant’s Customers living in the high brown urban areas of Maitama, Asokoro, Aso villa to Band A to enjoy electricity supply for 20 hours and above.
“By the same classification, the first Defendant classified the Claimant and other second Defendant’s Customers living in less privileged areas to Band B, C D and E thereby consigning these categories of customers to a perpetual state of lower, limited electricity supply of 16 hours for customers on band B, 12 hours and above for Customers on Band C, 8 hours and above for Customers on band D and 6 hours and above for Customers on Band E respectively.”
No date has been fixed for hearing of the matter.
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Edo CJ Frees 4 Awaiting Trial Inmates In Correctional Centres In Benin
Published
2 hours agoon
April 17, 2024By
EditorThe Chief Judge of Edo State (CJ), Justice Daniel Okungbowa, on Tuesday, freed four inmates in Oko and Old Benin correctional centres in the South Districts of the state.
Three inmates were set free unconditionally from the Oko Medium Custodian while one from Old Benin custodian center.
The four inmates that regained their freedom were
Emmanuel Marcus, 35, Innocent Eze, 25, Benedict Oko, 27, and Obasogie Caleb, 27.
Marcus, an Akwa- Ibom State indigene was charged for raping a 17-year-old girl and has been in detention since Jan. 20, 2023 without trial while Eze, a native of Delta State was charged for Armed Robbery, and had spent 1 year and five months without a case file.
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Oko, also a native of Delta State who was charged for kidnapping, and had spent one year and four months, while Caleb a native from Edo State was charged for robbery and murder, and had also spent 1year and four months without trace of case files.
Justice Okungbowa released and discharged the four inmates for the lack of case files and evidence against them, saying that the inmates cannot be in detention, waiting for the police to find their missing case files.
Justice Okungbowa urged the beneficiaries of his gesture not to abuse the privilege but rather to see it as another god-given opportunity to turn over a new leaf.
Earlier Edo CJ had said, “Today is especially significant to me for the very obvious reason, that it is my very first visit to Correctional Centres in Edo State in my capacity as Chief Judge and Chairman, Edo State, Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Committee (ACJMC).
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“Although it must be said that I have previously visited these facilities for jail delivery exercises such as this, many times with my predecessor(s) in office.
” Section 470(2) of Edo State, Administration of Criminal Justice Law 2018, has entrusted the ACJMC with the mandate to ensure that criminal matters are speedily dealt with and congestion of criminal cases in courts are drastically reduced.”
Justice Okungbowa avowed and unalloyed commitment that no one is made to remain here one day longer than necessary unless as prescribed by law.
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Reacting, Mr Osogun Olusegun and Mrs Idowu Enodiakemhe
both deputy controllers of corrections, Medium Security Custodial Centre Oko and Old Benin respectively, appealed to the government for more vehicles to enable them to take inmates Sto courts in distant areas without much stress.
They noted that the correctional centres were currently serving about 60 various courts in the state.
They also appealed for court cells where inmates can be kept temporarily during court sittings before taking the inmates to the correctional centers.
They said it would enhance safety and avert the possibility of bold escape in court premises.
News
Reps Give SEC, FRC Ultimatum On N45bn Unremitted Funds
Published
3 hours agoon
April 16, 2024By
EditorThe Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives, on Tuesday, issued a 21-day ultimatum to the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Fiscal Responsibility Commission to explain the whereabouts of the N45 billion unremitted operating surplus recorded from 2007 to 2021.
The committee Chairman, Bamidele Salam (PDP, Osun State), issued the ultimatum in Abuja, during the committee’s public hearing on leakages of revenue accruals to the Federal Government.
The FRC dragged the SEC before the committee for not responding to its report issued in 2022, where N45bn computed liability of unremitted funds was recorded against the exchange commission.
READ ALSO: Hoodlums Burn Down Residence Of Ex-Benue Gov
“We have written the SEC on December 20, 2022, intimating the commission of our computed liability for the period 2007 to 2021 and the said liability amounted to N45,01bn only.
“Up till now, we have not received any response from them. So, as far as we are concerned, they have accepted the liability and that is what we have recorded against the commission,” a representative of FRC, Mr. Bello Aliyu, told the committee.
Aliyu noted that since 2022, the SEC had not come up with any explanation concerning the unremitted sum.
He argued that by the law, the balance of any operating surplus should be paid into the consolidated revenue fund of the FG within less than one month of the statutory deadline for publishing any corporation account.
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The Director-General, SEC, Lamido Yahaya, however, said that the commission had reconciled its operating surplus with the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
He said, “I think if the FRC had done a little more work, they would have seen from the OAGF all the efforts that we have made to reconcile the surplus figure from 2007 when FRC came into being.”
In his remark, Salam noted that by law, the FRC is empowered to ensure that all government agencies and corporations listed in its enabling Act behave responsibly with regards to remittances and management of their revenues.
“I don’t know why SEC is more comfortable with the Accountant-Genera’s office and I don’t want to insinuate anything, but I want to assure the FRC that from now on, all that will stop.
”We are going to ensure that all agencies make the FRC the major body of government that should ensure compliance with the provision of the Act,” he said.
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