Business

Lawmakers Sue Bankole, Clerk Over Unpaid Allowances

Published

15 years ago

December 27, 2010

Five members of the House of Representatives last Wednesday instituted contempt charges against Speaker Dimeji Bankole and the Clerk for non-payment of their salaries and allowances as directed by the court.

The lawmakers are Reps Dino Melaye, (PDP-Kogi) Independence Ogunewe, (PDP-Imo) Solomon Ahwinahwi, (PDP-Delta) Bitrus Kase (PDP-Plateau) and Abbas Anas (PDP-Jigawa).

The lawmakers had on December 2, through a Federal High Court Judgment in Abuja got their indefinite suspension by the House quashed and returned to their seats after six months.

They, however, returned to court last Wednesday following the failure by the House leadership to pay them their entitlements.

The lawmakers in an affidavit sworn to on their behalf by Rep. Dino Melaye at the Federal High Court, Abuja, urged the court to commit Bankole and the Clerk of the House to prison for refusing to pay them.

Melaye said that the affected lawmakers had returned to the parliament to continue with their legislative duties, but that the Speaker had refused them access to their offices.

He alleged that the Speaker and the Clerk had broken into their offices while they were away, removed their properties without their consent and reallocated them to other lawmakers.

Melaye reminded the court that the duo were forced by the court to comply with its ruling that the lawmakers should return to parliament, through the issuance of Form 48.

According to Form 49 (Pursuant to Order IX Rules (13) of the Judgment and Enforcement Rules) issued by the Court following the application by Melaye and his colleagues, the Speaker and the Clerk might be committed to prison, if they fail to comply with the court order before January 12, 2011.

“Take Notice that the Plaintiffs/Applicants will on Wednesday the 12th day of January 2011 at the Hour of 9’O’Clock in the forenoon apply to this Court for an order for the committal to prison of the 1st and 3rd Defendants.

“For having disobeyed the judgment of this Honourable Court made on 2nd of December 2010, nullifying the suspension of the plaintiffs/Applicants as they have refused to pay them their outstanding salaries and allowances accrued to them since the 22nd of June, 2010, till date.

“And for their refusal to return the Plaintiffs/Applicants Offices to them which the 1st Defendant/Contempnors illegally broke into and reallocated same to other legislators after they were illegally suspended from the House of Representatives and Restrained from performing their legislative duties.

“And take Further Notice that the 1st and 3rd Defendants/Contempnors are hereby required to attend the court on the date first above mentioned to show cause why an order for committal to prison should not be made,” it said.

In a reaction, Rep Eseme Eyiboh, Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, said the payment of allowances to the affected lawmakers was the business of the National Assembly management and not that of the House leadership.

Eyiboh said the judgment had been appealed against and that there was no way the Speaker and the clerk could be charged for contempt.

Meanwhile the House had recalled 10 of the 11 members suspended on June 22, 2010, following a fracas.

Among those pardoned are Reps Gbenga Oduwaiye (PDP-Ogun), Austin Nwachukwu (PDP-Imo), Gbenga Onigbogi (PDP-Osun), Ehiogie West-Idahosa (PDP-Edo) while Doris Uboh (PDP-Delta) got her recalled through court judgment.

The only member who had refused to neither beg for pardon nor go to court was Rep kayode Amusan (PDP-Ogun).

Business

FG Begins South-West Tour To Promote New Cooperative Bank

Published

5 days ago

May 13, 2026

The Tide

The Federal Government has launched the South-West zonal engagement and ministerial advocacy tour on the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria share capital mobilisation, sensitisation and cooperative sector digitalisation.

Reports say the initiative was launched through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.

According to reports, the advocacy tour, organised by the ministry’s Federal Department of Cooperatives, began on Monday in Lagos.

Speaking at the event, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security and Supervising Minister of Cooperative Affairs, Dr Aliyu Abdullahi, said the initiative was part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Abdullahi described the exercise as a strategic effort to reposition the cooperative sector as a key driver of inclusive economic growth, financial inclusion, enterprise development, food security and national prosperity.

“Today represents a defining moment in our collective determination to reposition the cooperative sector as a major driver of inclusive economic growth, financial inclusion, enterprise development, food security and national prosperity,” he said.

The minister noted the modern cooperative movement in Nigeria originated in the South-West following the 1934 Strickland Report, which led to the enactment of the Cooperative Societies Ordinance of 1935.

According to him, the decision to commence the sensitisation and share capital mobilisation tour in the region is symbolic, as it marks a return to the roots of cooperative development in the country.

Abdullahi said the advocacy tour was a direct outcome of resolutions reached at the 8th Regular Meeting of the National Council on Cooperative Affairs held in Abuja in March 2026.

He said the council approved the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme, a comprehensive framework designed to strengthen the cooperative sector and align it with the administration’s goal of building a one-trillion-dollar economy.

“The reform programme focuses on seven strategic pillars, including governance reforms, cooperative financing and the establishment of the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria, digitalisation, capacity building, value chain development, inclusion of youths, women and persons with disabilities, and strategic partnerships,” he said.

He said the establishment of the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria and the digitalisation of the cooperative sector were the two major transformational initiatives under the programme.

“The Cooperative Bank of Nigeria is aimed at rebuilding a strong cooperative financial system capable of supporting cooperators, farmers, artisans, traders, SMEs, youths, women and persons with disabilities with accessible and affordable financial services,” he said.

Abdullahi emphasised that the proposed bank would be government-enabled but not government-funded.

“Government is not establishing the bank as an owner, nor will it rely on Treasury Single Account funds.

“The role of government through the FMAFS is to provide policy support, stakeholder coordination, regulatory facilitation and an enabling environment under the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme,” he said.

Also speaking, the Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, Mrs Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to cooperative sector transformation.

She described cooperatives as critical tools for promoting inclusive growth, grassroots productivity, food security, financial inclusion and community wealth creation.

Ambrose-Medebem said Lagos State would continue to support reforms and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme (2025–2030).

“Together, let us build a cooperative ecosystem that is modern, transparent, digitally enabled, financially inclusive and globally competitive.

“Let us build cooperatives that not only mobilise savings, but also mobilise prosperity,” she said.

Business

Customs Impound N2.35bn Cocaine, 15 Trailers of Rice

Published

5 days ago

May 13, 2026

The Tide

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone ‘A’, Ikeja, has impound Cocaine Substance valued at ?2.35 billion alongside 15 trailer-loads of foreign rice and a wide range of contraband across the South-West.

This was disclosed to Newsmen during a press briefing in Lagos by Controller of the Unit, Comptroller Gambo Aliyu,

Aliyu revealed that the seizures were made over an eight-week period, underscoring intensified enforcement efforts.

According to him, operatives foiled 473 smuggling attempts within the period, leading to the confiscation of 8,794 bags of 50kg foreign rice, 22 used vehicles, 328 bales of used clothing, and 31,705 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).

He said other seized items include a Mercedes-Benz vehicle and various food products such as poultry, vegetable oil, spaghetti, and sugar.

Aliyu clarified that the rice displayed at the briefing represented cumulative interceptions made at different locations and times across the zone.

“All the rice you see here are accumulative of seizures carried out at different places, at different times, and through different interdictions,”

Beyond the economic implications, the Comptroller emphasized the social cost of drug trafficking, warning that narcotics continue to destroy families and fuel criminal activities.

“It may surprise you to know that many homes are broken due to drugs.

” Our mandate is to cut off the supply chain, and that is exactly what we are doing,”.

Similarly Customs operatives at the Gbaji outpost intercepted a 71 year-old suspect along the Lagos-Abidjan corridor with 6.35kg of cocaine concealed in a Toyota Highlander.

The drugs, comprising both powdered and crystalline forms, were valued at ?2.35 billion.

Under a special enforcement drive, codenamed “Operation Hawk,” the unit also seized 3,340 parcels of synthetic cannabis, popularly known as “Ghanaian loud,” weighing 1,540kg.

The substances, along with three suspects, have been handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for further investigation and prosecution.

In a related operation, officers intercepted four cylinders of mercury hidden in a vehicle along the same corridor. Aliyu described the substance as hazardous and subject to international regulation.

Overall, the Duty Paid Value (DPV) of the seizures stands at approximately ?5.5 billion, reflecting the scale of enforcement activities.

Additionally, the unit recovered ?97.7 million through Demand Notices issued on under-declared consignments.

Aliyu reaffirmed the Service’s commitment to deploying modern technology—including geospatial intelligence, drone surveillance, and real-time tracking—to strengthen border security and clamp down on smuggling networks.

CHINEDU WOSU

Business

Dangote, Nicolai Tangen To Partner In strategic sectors

Published

5 days ago

May 13, 2026

The Tide

Chief Executive Officer of Norges Bank Investment Management, Nicolai Tangen ( manager of the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund) has expressed interest in partnering with Dangote Group to expand investments across Africa, particularly in strategic sectors such as power, energy, renewable energy, agriculture, fertiliser and cement.

This was made known during a meeting of Chief Executive of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote with Nicolai Tangen, the manager of Norwegian investment institution (with assets estimated at about $1.9 trillion) .

Also present at the meeting were Svein Tore Holsether, Chief Executive Officer of Yara International, and Terje Pilskog, Chief Executive Officer of Scatec, a global renewable energy company.

The engagement reflects growing international investor confidence in Africa’s industrial and infrastructure potential, as well as the increasing role of indigenous conglomerates such as Dangote Group in driving large-scale economic transformation across the continent.

Industry observers say the proposed collaboration could create significant opportunities for investments in critical sectors linked to energy transition, food security, industrialisation and infrastructure development.

The Norwegian sovereign wealth fund, regarded as one of the world’s leading institutional investors, has in recent years increased its focus on emerging markets, with Africa seen as a major frontier for long-term investment and value creation.

Analysts believe a partnership between Norges Bank Investment Management and Dangote Group could unlock substantial capital flows into infrastructure and industrial projects across Africa, helping to accelerate economic growth and regional integration.

Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos