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How Gbajabiamila Saved Nigeria’s Telecoms From Pantami’s Strange Bill

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Fresh facts emerged, yesterday, on how former speaker of the House of Representatives and current Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, saved the telecom industry from a bill pushed to the 9th Assembly by former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami.

Pantami, who exerted so much influence under the Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, had wanted to repeal the National Information Technology Development Agency Act 28 (2007) and enact a new law to provide for the administration, implementation, regulation of information technology systems and practices as well as digital economy in Nigeria and for other related matters.

The bill sought to change the Nigerian Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, into a full blown regulatory agency and subsume the regulatory powers of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, and the Nigerian Communications Act 2003 in it.

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Vanguard learned that Pantami had secretly forwarded the bill to the National Assembly and was hurriedly passed by the Senate on May 16, 2023, in a bid to secure presidential assent before the May 29 expiration of the tenure of President Buhari.

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It was learned that the bill, however, ran into a brickwall in the House of Representatives where Pantami could not effectively push his way through.

Investigation revealed that hours after the Senate passed the bill, it was pushed to the House of Representatives for concurrence and subsequently smuggled into the Order Paper for debate, even when it was not originally scheduled to be debated.

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The inclusion of the bill in the Order Paper was said to have infuriated the speaker, Gbajabiamila, who handed a warning to the Clerk of the House that he didn’t want the bill in the Order Paper of the House again, because of the manner it was smuggled in.

That pronouncement by the speaker was said to be the masterstroke that finally killed the bill and saved Nigeria from potential embarrassment and loss of investor confidence in the telecom industry, considered to be the best performing sector in the country since the return to democracy in 1999.

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Some stakeholders averred that had the bill been passed, it would have subsumed some functions and powers of the NCC, the authorised Nigeria telecoms regulator, which has been variously adjudged the best telecom regulator in Africa and one of the best in the world.

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They also noted that the bill would have equally subsumed the technical department of the Ministry of Science and Technology, the engineering directorate of the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, and yielded control of Galaxy Backbone to NITDA to make it super regulator.

Further checks revealed that to smoothen the journey of the Bill through the National Assembly, Pantami found an ally in the then Chairman of the Senate Committee on Information Communications Technology, ICT, Senator Yakubu Oseni.

It was gathered that Pantami carefully avoided going through the Senate Committee on Communications headed by Senator Oluremi Tinubu for fear that the committee would shut down the bill.

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Senator Tinubu, who was known to be vocal in defending the telecom sector and its stakeholders, including investors and consumers, according to industry sources, would have declared the Pantami bill dead on arrival had it passed through her committee.

To push the bill through, Senator Oseni was said to have convoked a public hearing on the bill by the joint committee of the Senate and Reps on ICT for December 23, 2022, the day the National Assembly went on Christmas break.

The ploy, Vanguard gathered, was to ensure that only few members of the joint committee attended to ‘validate’ the bill as packaged by Pantami and passed down as an executive bill.
VANGUARD

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PHOTOS: NECO Releases 2024 Internal Exam Timetable

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The 2024 National Examinations Council (NECO) Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) Internal Examinations timetable has been released, the release marked the commencement of a crucial period for secondary school students across Nigeria.

With the release of the schedule, candidates and educators alike are gearing up for the rigorous assessments ahead.

This is disclosed in a Monday post on its X platform, @Neconigeria.

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READ ALSO: NECO Postpones 2024 Staff Promotion Examination Indefinitely

The indigenous examination body disclosed that the exam begins Wednesday, June 19, 2024, and ends Friday, July 26, 2024.

Here are the photos of the NECO 2024 timetable below:

 

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VIDEO: Lady Laments As Lagos Issues Demolition Notice Two Months After Property Purchase

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A viral video circulating on social media shows a woman lamenting the demolition notice served on her property in Lagos State allegedly just two months after moving in.

In the video that surfaced online on Monday, the yet-to-be-identified woman cried as she recounted the ordeal. A picture of a demolition notice dated May 7, 2024, was also attached to the video.

She said, “We bought that property in February, and we’ve only been there for two months. All the hard work, all the sleepless nights, everything… If you’re in Lagos, you’ll know how much property in Eti Osa costs.

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“Each time my son sees me crying, he will always ask me why I am crying. How do I explain this to our son? What do I tell my children? I’m trying so hard to be strong, but this is very painful.

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“I don’t wish for anybody to work so hard and face something like this. I don’t.”

The video, which was shared on X.com on Monday by Spotlight Abby, tweeting with the handle #Spotlight_Abby, has garnered reactions from netizens, with some sympathising with the couple and others criticising the decision to invest in Lagos real estate citing recent incidents of demolitions.

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It also raised concerns about the need for thorough due diligence before investing in real estate in the state.

One Nneka Busy Body tweeting as #Nnekabusybody wrote, “While this is sad I’m a bit confused. With the uncertain investment landscape of Lagos and everything we see and read about, you still went and bought property in Lagos in 2024? How? Why?”

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Another user tweeting anonymously as #ideniyor wrote, “She and her husband deserve it. They bought a land without lawyers and due diligence. Cry me a river. The seller landed a fast one on them.”

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This is not the first time property demolitions in Lagos have sparked controversy.

PUNCH reported last week that residents of Mende Estate Villa in the Maryland area of Lagos State decried the demolition of their multimillion-naira houses in the area by the state government while seeking compensation for a new shelter.

Speaking on the incident, the state commissioner for the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed that the government issued the residents of Mende Villa Estate two demolition notices in 2021 and 2023.

On Wednesday, Wahab, in a post on X.com, also hinted that illegal builders whose houses are demolished may soon be asked to pay for the demolition.

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Watch video courtesy The PUNCH

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Edo PDP Crisis: Orbih Opens Up On Purported Reconciliation Talks

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Following the crisis in the Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, the Legacy Group has challenged the reconciliation talks said to be ongoing in the state, saying it was not involved.

The Legacy Group is being led by the PDP National Vice Chairman, South-South, Dan Orbih.

Leading up to the PDP governorship primary election on February 22 and following the victory of Asue Ighodalo as the party’s candidate, supported by the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, internal conflict had plagued the state chapter of the party.

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In response, the PDP appointed the Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Emmanuel Enoidem, to head an 11-member committee tasked to reconcile the disgruntled members.

The committee was unable to foster reconciliation, with the latest development being the ouster of the former Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, who contested against Ighodalo, as he was impeached by the lawmakers.

The Edo PDP, thereafter, split into factions, a group led by Orbih and another by Obaseki, with members opposing and campaigning against Ighodalo ahead of the governorship election slated for September 21, 2024.

In the past two weeks, certain PDP members had switched allegiance to the All Progressives Congress in the state, while others expressed intentions to oppose the party’s candidate in the forthcoming election.

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Additionally, the Deputy National Youth Leader of the PDP, Timothy Osadolor, has urged the National Working Committee to suspend Orbih, citing alleged anti-party activities.

Responding to the development, the PDP released a statement through its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, last week, urging the people of Edo State to continue showing support and solidarity for the party and its governorship candidate, Ighodalo.

Following the statement, supporters of the Obaseki faction claimed to have engaged in discussions with the Orbih-led Legacy Group in a bid to resolve internal conflicts among PDP members in Edo State.

Responding to the claim, Orbih refuted the alleged meeting, labelling it as misinformation.

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The PDP National Vice Chairman, South-South, in an exclusive interview with The PUNCH, questioned whether reconciliation could occur without the involvement of his group, the Legacy Group.

He stated, “Watching as the PDP council celebrated the falsehood of a non-existent settlement, can one person settle in the absence of the second person?

“I was not consulted. Legacy Group is not a party to this. This is a big lie from the pit of hell. Whoever orchestrated this propaganda is from the woods. So, Dan Orbih is important like this and they have been insulting me daily?”

When reached for comment, the PDP Deputy National Youth Leader and a staunch supporter of Governor Obaseki, Timothy Osadolor, remarked that Orbih found himself at a crossroads and encouraged him to step down from his position.

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In an interview with The PUNCH on Sunday, Osadolor stated that Orbih could not undermine Ighodalo’s chances in the election.

He stated, “Dan Orbih finds himself at a crossroads, having garnered considerable attention from members of the Legacy Group. He has led some into politically damaging conflicts, not only with the governor but also with the state.

“During the last NWC meeting, Orbih appealed against sanctions, citing past grievances and pledging future support for the party’s governorship candidate. While he’s entitled to his decisions, he must remember that holding a party leadership position entails loyalty to the party. I urge him to consider resigning honourably.

“Orbih cannot undermine the PDP’s candidate in Edo. He has never successfully fielded a councillor in his ward through fair elections, let alone jeopardise the PDP’s chances in Edo. Ighodalo, the PDP candidate, will emerge victorious.”

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Attempts to obtain a response from the PDP NWC regarding the development were unsuccessful, as Ologunagba did not answer calls or respond to messages sent to him.

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