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NJC Recommends Compulsory Retirement Of Abia Chief Judge
The National Judicial Council (NJC) has recommended the compulsory retirement of the Chief Judge of Abia State, Justice Theresa Uzokwe and Justice Obisike Orji of the State High Court.
According to a statement yesterday in Abuja by the council’s Director of Information, Mr Soji Oye, the decision was taken at the council’s 85thmeeting chaired by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen on March 14.
The NJC said Uzokwe’s recommendation for compulsory retirement followed the findings of two investigative committees set up by the Council.
The council said the committees had investigated petitions brought against her by the Attorney-General of Abia State, Mr Umeh Kalu, (SAN).
The NJC said, Kalu, who is also the State’s Commissioner for Justice had alleged that Uzokwe was working with a parallel Judicial Service Commission instead of the one constituted by the state government.
The council said Uzokwe was also found to have misapplied himself in Suit No. HU/131/2005.
According to the NJC, Uzokwe has erroneously delivered judgement in the sum of N825, 000 in favour of a litigant, but went ahead to sign a garnishee order of N109, 612, 500.
The council said Oji also attracted the wrath of the council by allowing himself to be sworn-in as acting Chief Judge of the state after he was warned not to contemplate accepting the offer.
The NJC viewed Oji’s action as colluding in, and aiding an unconstitutional process.
In a related development, Oye said the council had issued stern warnings to Justices S. E. Aladetoyinbo of the FCT High Court and Olusola Williams of the Lagos State High Court for judicial misconduct.
“The NJC reprimanded, seriously warned and placed on the Watch List Hon Justice S. E. Aladetoyinbo of the FCT High Court for impropriety in a case between U.L.O. Consultants Ltd v BIL Construction Nigeria Ltd.
“This was sequel to a petition by one Uche Luke Okpuno.
“Council would have sanctioned the Judge more severely but had to take into account the fact that aspects of the case could be appealed’’, Oye said.
According to him, the council also seriously warns Justice Olusola Williams of the Lagos State High Court for grave errors of judgment in her level of involvement in a family business.
“Council found that the Judge, as a judicial officer, should have been more circumspect and conscious of her office. Council’s sanction was as a result of a petition by Chief Ladi Rotimi-Williams, (SAN)’’, he said.
Oye said council also considered various petitions written against 31 Judicial Officers and resolved to empanel three Investigative Committees against one Justice of Supreme Court and two State Chief Judges.
He further said petitions against various Justices were dismissed either for lack of merit, lack of evidence of misconduct, being subjudice or that the subject of such petitions were matters for appeal.
He listed the dismissed petitions to include the ones against Justices Abdu Aboki, Theresa Abadua and Ahmed Belgore all of the Court of Appeal.
Others according to him, includes those against Justices John Tsoho, Ayo Emmanuel, SabiuYahusa, Zainab Abubakar, B. O. Quadri of the Federal High Court.
Oye said another set of the dismissed petitions were those brought against Justices A. N. Ubaka and B. B. Kanyip of National Industrial Court and Justices Bello Kawu, S. C. Orji, A. N. Talba of the FCT High Court.
He said petitions were also dismissed against Justice K. C. Nwankpa of High Court Abia State, Justice D. A. Onyefulu of High Court Anambra State and Justice W. I. A. Effiong of High Court Akwa-Ibom State.
According to him, petitions against Justice A. M. Ikpambese, High Court Benue State, Justice G. E.Gbemre, High Court Delta State, Justice A. O. Onovo, High Court Enugu State were also dismissed.
He further said petitions against Justice Idi Apollos, High Court Gombe State, Justice G. O. Ogunsanya, High Court Ogun State, Justice A. B. Abdulkarim, High Court Osun State suffered similar fate.
The Spokesman also said petitions against Justice K. A. Ojiako, High Court Imo State, Justices A. M. Lawal, L. A. Okunnu and L. B. Lawal Akapo, High Court Lagos State were equally dismissed.
Oye said the council decided to advise Justice J. E. Ikede of Delta State High Court and Justice Yusuf Halilu of FCT High Court to be more careful in the course of their judicial duties.
Also, Oye said the council decided to refer a petition brought by Mr Adesina Okuneye against Justice Mwada Balami of the FCT High Court to the Police to investigate.
According to him, the petitioner has raised allegation of N5 million bribe to the Judge meant for granting of a bail to an accused person.
“Council decided that the petition should be put in abeyance until the outcome of the investigation by the Police’’, Oye said.
Oye, however, said the council had recommended 60 Judicial Officers to governors of 24 for appointment as High Court Judges, Sharia Court Kadis and Customary Court of Appeal Judges.
Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for an official State visit at the invitation of the Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed.
Upon arrival yesterday, Shettima was received at the airport by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Dr. Gedion Timothewos, and other members of the Ethiopian and Nigerian diplomatic corps.
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communication, Stanley Nkwocha, revealed this in a statement he signed yesterday, titled: “VP Shettima arrives in Ethiopia for official state visit.”
During the visit, Vice President Shettima will participate in the official launch of Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Programme, a flagship environmental initiative.
The programme designed to combat deforestation, enhance biodiversity, and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change targets the planting of 20 billion tree seedlings over a four-year period.
In line with strengthening bilateral ties in agriculture and industrial development, the Vice President will also embark on a strategic tour of key industrial zones and integrated agricultural facilities across selected regions of Ethiopia.
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RSG Tasks Farmers On N4bn Agric Loan ….As RAAMP Takes Sensitization Campaign To Four LGs In Rivers
The Rivers State Government has called on the people of the state especially farmers to access the ?4billion agricultural loans made available by the State and domiciled in the Bank of Industry.
This is as the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) of Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), a World Bank project, took its sensitization campaign to Opobo/Nkoro, Andoni, Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor local government areas.
The campaign was aimed at enlightening community dwellers and other stakeholders in the various local government areas on the RAAMP project implementation and programme activities.
The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Maurice Ogolo, said this at Opobo town, Ngo, Port Harcourt City and Rumuodumanya, headquarters of the four local government areas respectively, during the sensitization campaign.
Ogolo said apart from the ?4billion, the government has also made available fertilizers and other farm inputs to farmers in the various local government areas.
The Permanent Secretary who is the Chairman, State Steering Committee for the project, said RAAMP will construct roads that will connect farms to markets to enable farmers and fishermen sell their farms produce and fishes.
He also said rural roads would be constructed to farms and fishing settlements, and warned against any act that will lead to the cancellation of the projects in the four local government areas.
According to him, the World Bank and Federal Government which are the financiers of the programme will not condone such acts like kidnapping, marching ground and other acts inimical to the successful implementation of the projects in their respective areas.
At PHALGA, Ogolo asserted that the city will benefit in the areas of roads and bridge construction.
He noted that RAAMP was thriving in both the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; Lagos and other states in the country, stressing that the project should also be given the seriousness it deserves in Rivers State.
Speaking at Opobo town, the headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area, the project coordinator, RAAMP, Mr.Joshua Kpakol, said the programme would reduce poverty in the state.
According to him, both fishermen and farmers will maximally benefit from the programme.
At Ngo which is the headquarters of Andoni Local Government Area, Kpakol said roads will be constructed to all remote fishing settlements.
He said Rivers State is lucky to be among the states implementing the project, and stressed the need for the people to embrace it.
Meanwhile, Kpakol said at PHALGA that RAAMP is a project that will transform the lives of farmers, traders and other stakeholders in the area.
He urged the stakeholders to spread the information to their various communities.
However, some of the stakeholders at Opobo town complained about the destruction of their farms by bulls allegedly owed by traditional rulers in the area, as well as incessant stealing of their canoes at waterfronts.
At Ngo, Archbishop Elkanah Hanson, founder of El-Shaddai Church, commended the World Bank and the Federal Government for bringing the projects to Andoni.
He stressed the need for the construction of roads to fishing settlements in the area.
Also, a former Commissioner for Agriculture in the state and Okan Ama of Ekede, HRH King Gad Harry, noted that storage facilities have become necessary for a successful agricultural programme.
Harry also stressed the need for the programme to be made sustainable.
In their separate speeches, the administrators of Andoni and Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Areas, pledged their readiness to support the programme.
At Port Harcourt City, the Administrator, Dr Arthur Kalagbor, represented by the Head of Local Government Administration, Port Harcourt City, Mr Clifford Paul, said the city would support the implementation of the programme in the area.
Also, the administrator of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Dr Clifford Ndu Walter, represented by Mr Michael Elenwo, pledged to support the programme in his local government area.
Among dignitaries at the Obio/Akpor stakeholders engagement is the chairman, Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council and paramount ruler of Apara Kingdom, HRM Eze Chike Wodo, amongst others.
John Bibor
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the commencement of personnel audit and skill gap analysis across all cadres of federal civil servants.
The president gave this directive in Abuja, yesterday, while speaking at the International Civil Service Conference, reaffirming his resolve to achieve efficiency and professional service delivery in the civil service.
“I have authorized the comprehensive personnel audit and skill gap analysis across the federal civil service to deepen capacity. I urge all responsible stakeholders to prioritize timely completion of this critical exercise, to begin implementing targeted reforms, to realize the full benefit of a more agile, competent and responsive civil service,” the president announced.
Tinubu further directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), to prioritise data integrity and sovereignty in national interest.
He called for the capture, protection and strategic publication of public sector data in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023.
“We must let our data speak for us. We must publish verified data assets within Nigeria and share them internationally recognized as fruitful. This will allow global benchmarking organisation to track our progress in real time and help us strengthen our position on the world stage. This will preserve privacy and uphold data sovereignty,” Tinubu added.
President Tinubu hailed the federal civil service as the “engine” driving his Renewed Hope Agenda, and the vehicle for delivering sustainable national development.
He submitted that the roles of civil servants remain indispensable in modern governance, declaring that in the face of a fast-evolving digital and economic landscape, the civil service must remain agile, future-ready, and results-driven.
“This maiden conference is a bold step toward redefining governance in an era of rapid transformation. An innovative Civil Service ensures we meet today’s needs and overcome tomorrow’s challenges.
“It captures our collective ambition to reimagine and reposition the civil service. In today’s rapid, evolving world of technology, innovation remains critical in ensuring that the civil service is dynamic, digital” the President said.
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack in her welcome address told the President that his presence and strong words of commendation at the conference has renewed the morale and mandate of public servants across the country.
Walson-Jack described Tinubu as the backbone of driving transformation in the Nigerian civil service, and noted that the takeaways from past study tours undertaken to understudy the civil service in Singapore, the UK and US under her leadership, is already yielding multiplier effects.
Walson-Jack assured Tinubu that her office, in collaboration with reform-minded stakeholders, will not relent in accelerating the implementation of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan, FCSSIP 25.
She affirmed that digitalisation, performance management, and continuous learning remain key pillars in strengthening accountability, transparency, and service delivery across MDAs.
Walson-Jack reaffirmed that the civil service is determined to exceed expectations by embedding a culture of innovation, ethical leadership, and citizen-centred governance in the heart of public administration.