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Onnoghen Receives Remains Of Ex- CJN
The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Walter Onnoghen yesterday received the remains of former CJN, Justice Dahiru Musdapher at the international wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
The Senior Special Assistant to the CJN on Media, Mr Wassam Bassey in a statement said the remains of Justice Musdapher arrived the airport at 4.30 a.m. into the waiting hands of the Onnoghen, family of the deceased and senior members of the legal profession.
Onnoghen had advised the family of the deceased to be consoled.
The CJN said the the late jurist had the honour and privilege of serving his country at the highest level of the judicial arm of government.
The CJN told the family and associates of the late jurist to accept his demise as the will of God.
Onnoghen has earlier directed all flags within the Supreme Court and all judicial institutions to fly at half mast till the end of fidda’u which is the seven-day prayer.
The CJN cancelled an even on Thursday for the inauguration of a six committees in the National Judicial Council (NJC) to allow management and other staff to pay their last respect to departed Musdapher.
Musdapher passed on early hours of January 23 in a London hospital after a protracted illness.
The late jurist retired from the bench five years ago on attaining the mandatory retirement age of 70.
He hailed from Bani Ya’muusa clan in Babura town in Babura Local Government Area of Jigawa State.
It would be recalled that on January 27, 2012 , Justice Musdapher led other justices to deliver a landmark judgment, removing five state governors from office, among others.
The court said the tenures of Governors Murtala Nyako of Adamawa, Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State, Timipre Sylva of Bayelsa, Ibrahim Idris of Kogi and Liyel Imoke of Cross River expired on May 29, 2011 and that their stay in office ever since was illegal.
The court ordered the Speakers of the affected state houses of assemblies to take over as acting governors until new helmsmen are installed.
The implication of this judgment is not clear given that the Independent National Electoral Commission has already conducted a fresh governorship election in Kogi and was already planning to conduct those of Adamawa, Sokoto, Bayelsa and Cross River.
The five governors had had their elections nullified.
Fresh elections were conducted, and the governors ran to court to challenge INEC’s insistence that in spite of the reruns, their tenure would end on May 29, 2011.
The governors prevailed at both the high and appellate courts, victories that enabled them to hang on to power, as the electoral body excluded their states from the governorship elections conducted last year.
INEC did not give up the fight.
It approached the apex court to challenge the judgments of the lower courts.
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I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
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RSG Tasks Rural Dwellers On RAAMP …As Sensitization Team Visits Akulga, Degema, Three Others

Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
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Senate Replaces Natasha As Committee Chairman

The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.
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