Headline

IYC Pushes For Constitution Review, Deputy N’tional President Tasks Committee On Encompassing Law

Published

1 year ago

June 18, 2024

The Deputy National President of Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Comrade Freedom Atigbi, has appealed to the committee saddled with the responsibility of reviewing constitution of the apex Ijaw youth body to do all it could to bring to bear a constitution that is encompassing.

The Deputy National President made the appeal at a constitution review public hearing held at Ogbe-Ijoh clan in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State, Western Zone.

According to Atigbi, the present national executives of the IYC met and deliberated extensively on the present constitution, discovered several lucuna, and agreed an amendment of the present constitution, a process he said would have commenced since January but due to some circumstances it couldn’t start.

The National Deputy Presiden acknowledged the fact that successful IYC national executives made attempts to review the constitution but failed due to the manners they handled it – starting the amended process towards the end of their tenure.

He said: “Before now, successful governments at the Council have promised to put a constitution review committee but along the line they would not do anything until ro towards the end of their tenure. And you know when you start a constitution amendment process towards the end of your tenure a lot of politics will come to play.”

He continued: “But the present NEC sat and discussed issues extensively, and agreed that the constitution amendment process should commence immediately. Our plan was that the process will start by January, and by March it should be adopted but due to some circumstances we are still on it.

“So, at NEC, we have done our part, I want to therefore appeal to you to put all that is possible to bring to bear a constitution that is encompassing so that at the end of the day, your names (constitution review committee members names) and our names (National Executives of IYC) will be in good record.”

He also appealed to members of the executives to give the necessary support to the committee for a successful process.

On his part, Chairman of the 9-man Constitution Review Committee, Barrister Matthew Ayibakura, promised to do everything possible to be transparent and make sure everyone aired his or her view.

According to him, the committee members have no right to input their opinions but to take people’s views across the three zones and chapters, compiled such opinions and submit such to the National Executives for further action.

The committee chairman said they have been to Eastern and Central zone for the public hearing, adding that after Western Zone hearing, the committee would move to Lagos and Abuja before compilation of council members’ views for onward submission to NEC.

Earlier, in his welcome address, Chairman, Western Zone of the IYC, Comrade Nicholas Igarama, while thanking the committee members for effort being put in place so far, promised the committee of an enabling environment.

Headline

US Appeal Court Rules Against Trump Birthright Citizenship Order

Published

11 hours ago

July 24, 2025

Editor

A US appeals court on Wednesday ruled that President Donald Trump’s order restricting birthright citizenship was unconstitutional and backed the decision of a lower court to block the nationwide order.

The order has been mired in legal back-and-forth for months, and is currently halted by a federal court amid multiple legal proceedings.

The Supreme Court ruled last month that lone judges had likely exceeded their powers by issuing nationwide injunctions against a string of Trump’s policies, including his move to end birthright citizenship.

Several district judges had blocked Trump’s attempt to end the longstanding rule, guaranteed in the US Constitution, that anyone born on US soil is automatically an American citizen.

But the Ninth District Court of Appeals ruled that an injunction issued by a district judge based in Seattle was not a case of judicial overreach.

“We conclude that the district court did not abuse its discretion in issuing a universal injunction in order to give the States complete relief,” Judge Ronald Gould wrote.

According to Gould’s ruling, limiting an injunction to the state level would be as ineffective as not blocking the order at all, because of complications that could arise if people move between states with different citizenship rules.

The appeals court also concluded that Trump’s birthright order went against the wording of the US Constitution.

“The district court correctly concluded that the Executive Order’s proposed interpretation, denying citizenship to many persons born in the United States, is unconstitutional. We fully agree,” Gould wrote.

Trump’s executive order decrees that children born to parents in the United States illegally or on temporary visas would not automatically become citizens — a radical reinterpretation of the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution.

The current Supreme Court, with a 6-3 conservative majority, avoided ruling last month on the constitutionality of Trump’s executive order and only addressed the issue of nationwide injunctions, which was nevertheless claimed by Trump as a “giant win.”

The Supreme Court also left open the possibility that executive orders could be blocked via broad class-action lawsuits against the government.

A federal judge earlier this month granted class-action status to any child who would potentially be denied citizenship under Trump’s order, and issued a preliminary halt to it as legal proceedings carry on.

AFP

Headline

49 Feared Dead As Passenger Plane Crashes In Russia

Published

12 hours ago

July 24, 2025

Editor

A passenger plane carrying 49 people crashed in Russia’s far eastern region of Amur on Thursday, authorities said.

The aircraft, a twin-engine Antonov-24 operated by Angara Airlines, was headed to the town of Tynda from the city of Blagoveshchensk when it disappeared from radar, regional governor Vassily Orlov said on Telegram.

A rescue helicopter later spotted the burning fuselage of the plane on a mountainside about 16 kilometres (10 miles) from Tynda.

The helicopter saw no evidence of survivors from above, local rescuers said.

The Amur region’s civil defence agency said it was dispatching rescuers to the scene.

“At the moment, 25 people and five units of equipment have been dispatched, and four aircraft with crews are on standby,” it said.

AFP

Headline

19 Dead As Bangladesh Fighter Jet Crashes Into School

Published

3 days ago

July 21, 2025

Editor

A Bangladeshi training fighter jet crashed into a school in the capital Dhaka on Monday, killing at least 19 people and injuring dozens more in the country’s deadliest aviation accident in decades.

An AFP photographer at the scene saw fire and rescue officials taking away the injured students on stretchers, while military personnel helped clear the wreckage.

A military statement said 19 people were killed, including the pilot, and 20 others were critically wounded.

At least 51 people, mostly students, were undergoing treatment at Dhaka’s National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute, its director Mohammad Nasir Uddin told AFP.

The Chinese-made F-7 BJI aircraft crashed moments after students were let out of class at 1:00 pm (0700 GMT) at the Milestone School and College.

A witness said he heard a huge blast that felt like an earthquake.

“We have two playgrounds, one for the senior students and one for the juniors,” said Shafiur Rahman Shafi, 18, who is enrolled at the school.

“We were on the playground for the seniors. There were two fighter planes… Suddenly one of the two planes crashed here (in the junior playground),” he told AFP.

“It created a boom, and it felt like a quake. Then it caught fire, and the army reached the spot later.”

The interim government of Muhammad Yunus announced a day of national mourning on Tuesday.

Grieving parents and relatives of the victims thronged the National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute.

Tofazzal Hossain, 30, broke down in tears on learning that his young cousin had been killed.

“We frantically searched for my cousin in different hospitals,” Hossain told AFP.

“He was an eighth grader at the school. Finally, we found his body.”

Yunus expressed “deep grief and sorrow” over the incident in a post on X.

“The loss suffered by the Air Force, the students, parents, teachers, and staff of Milestone School and College, as well as others affected by this accident, is irreparable,” he said.

“This is a moment of profound pain for the nation.”

The crash was the worst aviation accident in the country in several decades.

The deadliest ever disaster happened in 1984 when a plane flying from Chattogram to Dhaka crashed, killing all 49 on board.

Last month, a commercial aircraft crashed in neighbouring India, killing 260 people.