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JUST IN: Tinubu Backs Direct Elections Into ECOWAS Parliament

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President Bola Tinubu, on Thursday, said he would support a proposal for the direct election of members into the parliament of the Economic Community of West African States.

Tinubu said the move would give citizens of member states a say in who represents them.

“As a one-time legislator myself, I look forward to reviewing the proposal regarding this matter. We stand to support the direct elections into ECOWAS parliament,” said Tinubu when he swore in 97 members into the 6th ECOWAS parliament at the Abuja International Conference Centre.

His comments came on the backdrop of the ECOWAS parliament being peopled by existing lawmakers from the 15 member states.

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The President said, “The practice of directly electing public officers aligns with democratic principles, principles that Nigeria upholds

“This principle is also in line with the spirit of the ECOWAS protocol on democracy and good governance.

“We believe this will ensure that citizens will have a direct say in their representation and the legitimacy and credibility it will provide.”

He assured members of the sixth ECOWAS Parliament that Nigeria, as host of the community, “will continue to support you to achieve your objectives.”

READ ALSO: FIRS Apologises To CAN Over Easter Message

The ECOWAS parliament, also known as the C Community parliament was established under Articles 6 and 13 of the ECOWAS Revised Treaty of 1993.

The initial protocol establishing the parliament was signed in Abuja on August 6, 1994, providing for the structure, composition, competence, and other matters relating to the parliament.

The parliament is composed of 115 seats. Each member state has a guaranteed minimum of five seats while the remaining 40 seats are shared based on population.

However, only 97 members, comprising lawmakers from various member states, were sworn in Thursday.

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They include 35 members from Nigeria and five each from Benin Republic, Cabo Verde, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Sierra Leon, and Togo.

Others include eight members from Ghana, seven from Cote d’Ivoire and six each from Senegal and Guinea.

Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso have no representatives in the sixth parliament as these states had expressed their intention to exit the bloc.

Citing earlier remarks by the ECOWAS Commission President, Dr. Omar Touray, President Tinubu appealed to the trio to reconsider their stance as their exit could spell far-reaching consequences for their citizens as well as the region.

Details later…

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Tribunal Restrains MultiChoice From hiking DStv, Gotv Subscription Rates

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A Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal sitting in Abuja, on Monday, issued a restraining order on Multi-Choice Nigeria Limited from increasing its tariffs and cost of products and services.

Multi-choice had last week announced a price increment across its DStv and GOtv packages effective May 1, 2024.

The pay-TV company claimed the price hike was due to the cost of business operations in Nigeria.

A three-member tribunal, presided over by Saratu Shafii, gave an interim order following an ex-parte motion moved by Ejiro Awaritoma, counsel for the applicant, Festus Onifade.

READ ALSO: Multichoice Hikes DStv, GOtv Prices

The tribunal, in a ruling, restrained Multi-Choice from going ahead with the impending price increase schedule to take effect from May 1, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice filed before it.

The 1st defendant is hereby restrained from taking any step(s) that may negatively affect the rights of the claimant and other consumers in respect of the suit pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice,” Shafii declared.

She, therefore, directed all parties in the suit to appear before the tribunal on May 7 at 10 am for the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

The lawyer in the suit marked: CCPT/OP/2/2024, had dragged Multi-Choice Nigeria Ltd and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) before the tribunal.

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In the suit filed on April 29, Onifade, also a legal practitioner, sought two orders.

These include, “an order of interim injunction of this honourable tribunal restraining the 1st defendant whether by themselves, her privies, assigns by whatsoever name called from going ahead with impending price increase schedule to take effect from 1st May 2024, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

“An order restraining the 1st defendant from taking any step(s) that may negatively affect the rights of the claimant and other consumers in respect of the suit pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice.”

Other members of the tribunal include Thomas Okosun and Dr. Umar Duhu.

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OPINION: Between Mike Adenuga And Prometheus

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By Lasisi Olagunju

The Greek word ‘philos’ means ‘love’, and ‘anthropos’ means ‘man’ or ‘humanity.’ The Englishman came across those two words, combined them and came up with ‘philanthropy’ – ‘love of mankind.’ The Ancient Greek was a nation of great thinkers. World civilizations inherited from these great people rare knowledge preserved in myths, folktales and legends of heroes. They clothed their myths with assumptions and beliefs that have endured centuries of interrogations and reviews. One of those is their insistence that one of their titans, Prometheus, was the very first philanthropist.

And I ask how? ‘Prometheus’ as a Greek name means ‘Forethinker’. One writer says we should not be tired of celebrating him because “he loved us. He helped us. He defied the other gods and suffered for us.” To Timothy Wutrich, American Professor of Comparative Arts, Prometheus is “the polymath, creative genius, and philanthropist” who rebelled against Zeus to save humanity. What exactly is that thing he did?

The Greek in their myth say man was created naked and vulnerable in a hostile world of privileged beasts. But Prometheus, who was present during creation, took a deep look at the helpless creature, thought of what to do, fished out fire from where Zeus hid it and gifted it to Man. Classical Greek dramatist, Aeschylus (524-455 BC), in his ‘Prometheus Bound’ casts him as humanity’s “preserver” who gave us “all the arts and sciences as well as the means of survival.”

The immediate past president and chief executive officer of The Pew Charitable Trusts, Rebecca W. Rimel, on 28 April, 2001, addressed a joint meeting of the American Philosophical Society, the Royal Society and the British Academy on what she called the strategy of charity. At that proceeding, she addressed the Promethean fire philosophy. She explained ‘fire’ as that long-term solution that addressed the root of a problem: “The gift of fire,” Rimel explained, “transformed the world. Fire did not simply permit a few people to enjoy a hot meal and a warm shelter on the day it was given. It was a new tool that could be used forever to help humans make their often-hostile environment more accommodating…” She suggested that ‘fire’ could stand for education, for knowledge, skill. It could wear the dress of the master going the extra mile of teaching his protégés how to fish. She added that “philanthropy is not simply a kind attitude – it also implies a certain kind of approach” which we see in the myth of Prometheus. She proceeded to sit Prometheus with Thomas Jefferson and the American founding father’s profound belief that “a free nation could remain free only if its people were educated.” She alluded to Jefferson’s 1808 “ardent desire to see knowledge” in every man.

When Globacom chairman, Dr. Mike Adenuga Jr., turned 70 last year. I wrote a column and gave reasons why I did: his patriotism; his calls of commendation to me – and his kindness across all divides. Recently when Air Peace appeared buffeted by vicious tides of competition, I wrote and likened that company’s intervention to Globacom’s epochal entry into telecoms in Nigeria. I said before Globacom, there was exploitation from outsiders and Nigerians were made victims in their own country. The Nigerian telecoms subscriber was the pre-Prometheus man – naked and helpless. Then, Mike Adenuga’s company made its grand entry in August 2003 and its Promethean fire broke the chains. It was amazing how miserably the padlocks of brutal exploitation surrendered. My triumphant people would say they’d seized the enemy’s àgádágodo – the ones clothed with tiger skin and the ones hidden in hides of alligator (aláwo ekùn, àt’aláwo agílíntí).

Adenuga and his Globacom came with a string of firsts that have been mentioned repeatedly. Someone asked why those acts of patriotism are repeatedly told as stories, I answered that Nigerians of today who are thirty years and younger were too young in August 2003 to appreciate the battle won for them by Adenuga 21 years ago. They need to be told repeatedly that it happened. Read again Thomas Jefferson’s dictum which I quoted above: A free nation can only remain free if its people are educated. I add that education includes adequate knowledge of our history.

Today again, Adenuga celebrates his 71st birthday. I read many testimonies of his unannounced public-spiritedness last year when he clocked 70. I am reading (and savouring) refreshingly new ones this year. The stories of his activities are so much like the Promethean story: philanthropy that clothes the naked and addresses the roots of people’s poverty; charity that ennobles humanity and extends the frontiers of knowledge, friendship, love and kindness. The book of his benevolence includes chapters on scholarships and endowments in arts and science. Ask universities around; ask the Alliance Francais in Lagos. Ask the rescued widow in the backwaters of Yewa whose story changed forever. Ask me: I know (and I have heard) of people he dazed with kindness whom he did not give the opportunity to say “thank you.” As he does his Godly thing his quiet way, we will keep telling the world in our own loud words that he represents the best of humanity.

I wish him a happy birthday and very many more years of sweetness as his vintage wine grows in richness.

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2024 UTME: JAMB Withholds Results Of 64,624 Candidates

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The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, on Monday, announced the release of the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.

The Registrar of the Board, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, made this known during an ongoing press briefing in Bwari, Abuja.

Oloyede also noted that the results of 64,624 out of the 1,904,189 who sat the examination have been withheld by the Board and will be subject to investigation.

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The Board Registrar noted that though a total of 1,989,668 registered, a total of 80,810 candidates were absent.

“For the 2024 UTME, 1,989,668 candidates registered including those who registered at foreign centres. The Direct Entry registration is still ongoing.

“Out of a total of 1,989,668 registered candidates, 80,810 were absent. A total of 1,904,189 sat the UTME within the six days of the examination.

READ ALSO: BREAKING: JAMB Releases 2024 UTME Results 

“The Board is today releasing the results of 1,842,464 candidates. 64,624 results are under investigation for verification, procedural investigation of candidates, centre-based investigation and alleged examination misconduct.”

Oloyede also said the Board, at the moment, examines nine foreign centres namely: Abidjan, Ivory Coast; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Buea, Cameroon; Cotonou, Republic of Benin; London, United Kingdom; Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; and Johannesburg, South Africa.

The essence of this foreign component of the examination is to market our institutions to the outside world as well as ensure that our universities reflect the universality of academic traditions, among others. The Board is, currently, fine-tuning arrangements for the conduct of the 2024 UTME in these foreign centres.”

Details later…

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