News
Nigeria Goes No Where Without Functional System – Activist
Without a system that works in place, Nigeria has missed it ahead of the 2023 Presidential election, Executive Director, Foundation for Good Governance and Social Change (FGGSC), Comrade Austin Osakue, has said.
Oaakue stated in Benin on Wednesday while speaking at a Colloquium to mark the 4th anniversary of Rural Development, Information and Legal Advocacy Centre (RUDILAC), and the 2022 International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI) organised in conjunction with the Edo State Ministry of Communication and Orientation.
He explained that all those jostling to be president may not bring the desired change in the absence of a functional system in place.
READ ALSO: JUST IN: Edo Govt Imposes 24-hour Curfew In Obazagbon, Ogheghe Communities
“What is required is a system that works and unless a functional system is put in place, no individual can change Nigeria”, he stressed.
Osakue whose lecture was titled “Access to Information: A Building/Road Block For a Resilient Society”, said it is critical to deepen access to information in the country, pointing out that no society can survive for long concealing information.
He listed transparency and accountability as pillars of good governance, adding that Freedom of Information or access to information, is simply saying that citizens have a right to know what is happening within the governance system.
“Freedom of Information is at the heart of transparency and accountability. Instead of being a stumbling block, Freedom of Information is supposed to promote good governance”, Osakue said.
He canvassed collaboration as the way forward, saying individuals cannot do it alone and called on journalists, civil society groups, NGOs and Lawyers to close ranks to enable them make progress and achieve their common goals.
In his lecture “Toolbox for Access to Information Regime in Edo State”, Maxwell Kadiri, a Senior Strategic Litigation Officer, Open Society Justice Initiative”, noted that political elite and leaders across board appear to be uncomfortable when access to information is being discussed.
He explained that access to information is not necessarily tied to legislation, citing India which started allowing its people access to information, flowing from its constitution and Democratic practice 20 years before a formal legislation on the subject was passed.
READ ALSO: Editors Demand Implementation Of FOI Act
“Governments across the country have obligation to allow citizens of access to information by virtue of the democracy we practise and the African and Peoples Charter of 1990”.
He stressed that government officials by the concept of democracy are only holding information in trust for the people, adding that the information is not their property.
“Public officers don’t understand the provisions of the FOI in their failure to allow the citizens proactive access to information”, Kadiri further stated.
News
Edo NLC Crisis: Caretaker Committee Drags Rival Exco, Govt To Court
The division in the Edo State Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), took a new dimension on Wednesday as Prof. Monday Monday Lewis Igbafen-led caretaker committee approached the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, Benin Judicial Division, seeking to affirm its authority and restrain a rival executive from parading itself as the council’s leadership.
Joined in the suit are the Edo State Government, the Commissioner for Labour and Productivity, and the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice.
In a suit marked: NICN/BEN/12/2026, and filed before the court in Benin, the claimant, Igbafen, acting for himself and on behalf of the NLC Caretaker Committee in Edo State, is challenging the continued occupation of the union’s secretariat and control of its assets by members of the Bernard Egwakhide-led factional State Executive Council.
READ ALSO:Edo NLC Divided Over May Day Celebration
The claimants are asking the court to declare that the caretaker committee (Igbafen-led faction), constituted on August 11, 2025, by the NLC national leadership, remains the only lawful authority to administer the affairs of the Edo State Council pending fresh elections.
They further seek a declaration that the continued occupation of the NLC secretariat located at No. 1 Teboga Road, Benin City, as well as the retention of union assets, financial records, and official instruments by the defendants, is illegal and void.
The suit also prays for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from parading themselves as officials of the NLC Edo Council or interfering with the functions of the caretaker committee.
In addition, the claimants are seeking a mandatory order compelling the defendants to immediately hand over the secretariat, vehicles, financial documents, cheque books, and all other properties belonging to the union.
READ ALSO:JUST IN: NLC Begins Meeting With ASUU, Other Unions Over Strike
The caretaker committee further urged the court to restrain the state government and its officials from interfering in the internal affairs of the union, alleging undue support for the dissolved executive.
The claimants further demand N50 million as general and exemplary damages against the defendants for alleged unlawful usurpation of office and acts prejudicial to the administration of the council.
According to court documents made available to our correspondent, the crisis followed the dissolution of the Edo State Council by the NLC National Executive Council on February 27, 2025, over allegations of misconduct, anti-union activities, and constitutional violations.
However, the matter has yet to be assigned a hearing date.
News
Transfer: Premier League Clubs Scramble For Dele-Bashiru
Lazio midfielder, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru is a subject of interest from three Premier League clubs, according to Sky Sports.
Lazio reportedly rejected offers from Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth for the Nigeria international in January.
READ ALSO:Film Premiere: Edo In Talks With Embassies To Promote Safe Migration —Agazuma
La Biancolesti are bracing for more interest in Dele-Bashiru ahead of the summer transfer window, according to Sky Sports.
The 24-year-old has two years left on his contract with the Serie A club.
The attacking midfielder joined the Rome-based club from Turkish Super Lig outfit Hatayspor in 2024.
He has been a regular feature for Lazio this season.
News
Xenophobic Attacks: Nigerian Students To Picket MTN, MultiChoice, Other Businesses
The leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS South-West Zone D, has announced plans to picket South African companies in Nigeria following the ongoing xenophobic attacks in the country.
DAILY POST reports that some Nigerians were recently killed in South Africa over the violent attacks.
A statement issued to newsmen by Comrade Adeyemo Josiah Kayode, Coordinator, NANS South-West, Zone D, said that the association is mobilizing to take decisive and lawful action by organizing peaceful picketing and mass advocacy against South African business interests operating in Nigeria.
READ ALSO:Xenophobic Attacks: Oshiomhole Tells FG To Retaliate Against South African Companies In Nigeria
“We categorically state that the continued targeting of Nigerians under any guise is unacceptable and must come to an immediate end.
“This will include major corporations such as MTN Group and MultiChoice Group. It is morally indefensible for businesses to thrive in an environment where the lives of Nigerians are protected, while Nigerians are subjected to fear and violence elsewhere.
“This contradiction will no longer be tolerated,” the statement said.
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